Australian · 1941–2006
Madeleine St John left Australia for London and wrote four quiet, devastating novels about women navigating society's expectations. "The Women in Black" (1993) is set in a 1950s Sydney department store; "The Essence of the Thing" (1997) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize—a London breakup story told with ruthless economy. St John died in poverty in 2006; her reputation has grown since.