Lillian Hellman
Image
Brief Biography
Lillian Hellman was born in New Orleans and spent part of her time in New York while growing up. She attended New York University but left without a degree, deciding to pursue work as a manuscript reader before shifting her focus to writing plays. The play, The Children’s Hour, was her first to be produced. It opened on Broadway in 1933 before Hellman moved to Hollywood to be a screenwriter for MGM. She continued dividing her time between Hollywood and New York while writing screenplays and plays for well over a decade. Two of her plays, The Little Foxes and Another Part of the Forest, are inspired by Demopolis, Alabama, where her mother grew up. During the McCarthy era, Hellman’s involvement in leftist political causes led to accusations of being a Communist, resulting in her being blacklisted from Hollywood. Despite these occurrences, she continued to write plays, later turning her attention to writing memoirs that offered her perspective on the events of that era. Hellman died of a heart attack in 1984.
Publications
The Children's Hour. New York; A.A. Knopf, 1935. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
The Little Foxes. New York; Random House, 1939. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Watch on the Rhine: A Play in Three Acts. New York; Random House, 1941. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Another Part of the Forest: A Play in Three Acts. New York; Random House, 1947. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Toys in the Attic: A New Play. New York; Random House, 1960. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
An Unfinished Woman: A Memoir. Boston; Little, Brown, 1969. Rpt. Boston; Little, Brown, 1999.
Pentimento: A Book of Portraits. Boston; Little, Brown, 1973.
Scoundrel Time. Boston; Little, Brown, 1976.
The Little Foxes. New York; Random House, 1939. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Watch on the Rhine: A Play in Three Acts. New York; Random House, 1941. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Another Part of the Forest: A Play in Three Acts. New York; Random House, 1947. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
Toys in the Attic: A New Play. New York; Random House, 1960. Rpt. in The Collected Plays. Boston; Little, Brown, 1972.
An Unfinished Woman: A Memoir. Boston; Little, Brown, 1969. Rpt. Boston; Little, Brown, 1999.
Pentimento: A Book of Portraits. Boston; Little, Brown, 1973.
Scoundrel Time. Boston; Little, Brown, 1976.
Themes
Lillian Hellman wrote plays and screenplays defined by their vivid characters and didactic tone. She also wrote memoirs about her life and acquaintances, but they were met with accusations of fabrication and inaccuracy.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Hellman, Lillian, “Lillian Hellman,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/602.