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Lillian HellmanAmerican playwright
Date of Birth: 20.06.1905
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman (1905–1984) was an American playwright, editor, journalist, and theater critic. She was born on June 20, 1905, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Hellman studied at the New York and Columbia Universities. She worked as an editor, journalist, and theater critic before gaining recognition as a playwright.
Early Plays
In 1934, Hellman wrote her first play, "The Children's Hour," which revolves around a vengeful schoolgirl who tarnishes the reputations of two teachers. Her next play, "Days to Come," staged in 1936, depicts the struggle between labor and capital. In her most successful play, "The Little Foxes" (1939), Hellman portrays a wealthy Southern family obsessed with material gain during the Reconstruction era.
World War II and Social Commentary
During World War II, Hellman wrote timely plays such as "Watch on the Rhine" (1941), which centers around a conflict between a German anti-fascist and a fascist agent, and "The Searching Wind" (1944), which exposes the foreign policy of the United States for allowing the spread of fascism.
Later Works
In "Another Part of the Forest" (1946), Hellman tells the backstory of "The Little Foxes" and delves into the lives of the older generation of the Southern family. In 1949, the musical adaptation of "The Little Foxes" titled "Regina" premiered in New York. Some of Hellman's other notable plays include "Montserrat" (1949), "The Autumn Garden" (1951), "Toys in the Attic" (1959), and "My Mother, My Father and Me" (1963).
Autobiography
Hellman's autobiography, "An Unfinished Woman" (1969), won the National Book Award. She also wrote two memoirs, "Pentimento" (1973), which is an art term that signifies the artist's deliberate omission of details, and "Scoundrel Time" (1979).
Throughout her life, Hellman was mentored and close friends with renowned detective novelist Dashiell Hammett.
