Who do you consider a Great Author of the last 50 years or so (first well-known work after 1970)? I'd like to get a feel for who's who in modern literature. Any language/culture. Fiction only.
Bonus points for any books you believe are classics from that time period. Any language, but only fiction please.
A few years off from your criteria, but Ursula K. Le Guin released A Wizard of Earthsea in 1968. However, she had been pretty prominent in science fiction for the decade.
Important enough to inspire Pratchett and Miyazaki (of Studio Ghibli).
She used to teach writing courses at the university where I work. According to some of the old IT hands, whenever she came in with computer problems she was a delight to work with.