Who was Lillian Hellman?

Lillian Hellman (1905–1984) was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. After working as a book reviewer, press agent, play reader, and Hollywood scenarist, she began writing plays in the 1930s. Her dramas exposed the forms in which evil appears. These included a malicious child’s lies about schoolteachers in The Children’s Hour (1934); a ruthless family’s exploitation of townspeople in The Little Foxes (1939); and the irresponsible selfishness of the Versailles-treaty generation ( Watch on the Rhine , 1941). Hellman supported leftist causes and refused to give the names of people with associations with the Communist Party to the House Un-American Activities Committee, and she was subsequently blacklisted. In 1980, writer and critic Mary McCarthy called Hellman a "dishonest writer," which launched a legal feud that would last for the rest of Hellman’s life.

What is a playwright, and what kind of work did Lillian Hellman create?

A playwright is a person who writes plays. Lillian Hellman (1905-1984) was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Hellman's plays explored the manifestations of evil, such as a malicious child's lies in The Children's Hour (1934); a family's ruthless exploitation in The Little Foxes (1939); and the selfishness of the Versailles-treaty generation in Watch on the Rhine (1941). Certain fabrications in her reminiscences, notably in Pentimento (1973), and her support of leftist causes led to controversies, including a legal feud with writer and critic Mary McCarthy.

What are some of Lillian Hellman's most famous plays?

Lillian Hellman was an American playwright known for dramas addressing injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Some of her most famous plays include: * The Children's Hour (1934), which tells of a malicious child whose lies impact two schoolteachers. * The Little Foxes (1939), a chronicle of greed and hate within a ruthless family in the American South. * Watch on the Rhine (1941), a play that exposes the dangers of fascism in America. * Another Part of the Forest (1946), which portrays the Hubbard family 20 years before the events of The Little Foxes .

What themes or topics did Hellman often explore in her plays?

Lillian Hellman's plays often explored themes of injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Her dramas exposed the presence of evil in various forms, such as a malicious child's lies in The Children's Hour , a ruthless family's exploitation in The Little Foxes , and the irresponsibility of a generation in Watch on the Rhine . Despite criticisms of her views, Hellman's characters were credible due to realistic dialogue and intensity. In the 1950s, she showed skill in Chekhovian drama ( The Autumn Garden ) and adaptations, and later returned to the well-made play with Toys in the Attic .

How did Lillian Hellman's work reflect or comment on society during her time?

Lillian Hellman was an American playwright who used her dramas to deliver forceful attacks against injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Hellman's plays often mirrored the social and political issues of her time. For example, The Children's Hour (1934) tackles the devastating impact of malicious lies, while The Little Foxes (1939) and Another Part of the Forest (1946) expose the ruthlessness of a family exploiting their community. Watch on the Rhine (1941) and The Searching Wind (1944) criticize the irresponsibility of the Versailles-treaty generation. Hellman was a supporter of leftist causes and detailed her experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee in Scoundrel Time (1976). She refused to name individuals with communist associations and was subsequently blacklisted.

What impact did Lillian Hellman have on American theater and playwrights who came after her?

Lillian Hellman was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Hellman's plays often featured tight structures and realistic intensity, setting her apart from many contemporary playwrights. Her works explored various forms of evil, as seen in The Children's Hour , The Little Foxes , and Watch on the Rhine . Though sometimes criticized for her views and characters, Hellman's credible dialogue and realistic intensity influenced later playwrights. Her collected plays continued to be performed into the 21st century.

Lillian Hellman

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Born:: June 20, 1905, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

Died:: June 30, 1984, Tisbury, Massachusetts (aged 79)

Notable Works:: “Another Part of the Forest”; “Searching Wind, The”; “The Children’s Hour”; “The Little Foxes”; “Toys in the Attic”; “Watch on the Rhine”

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Lillian Hellman

American playwright

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Who was Lillian Hellman?
Lillian Hellman (1905–1984) was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

After working as a book reviewer, press agent, play reader, and Hollywood scenarist, she began writing plays in the 1930s. Her dramas exposed the forms in which evil appears. These included a malicious child’s lies about schoolteachers in The Children’s Hour (1934); a ruthless family’s exploitation of townspeople in The Little Foxes (1939); and the irresponsible selfishness of the Versailles-treaty generation (Watch on the Rhine, 1941).

Hellman supported leftist causes and refused to give the names of people with associations with the Communist Party to the House Un-American Activities Committee, and she was subsequently blacklisted. In 1980, writer and critic Mary McCarthy called Hellman a "dishonest writer," which launched a legal feud that would last for the rest of Hellman’s life.
2 Britannica Sources
1. What Was the Feud Between Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman?
2. Lillian Hellman
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What is a playwright, and what kind of work did Lillian Hellman create?
A playwright is a person who writes plays. Lillian Hellman (1905-1984) was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

Hellman's plays explored the manifestations of evil, such as a malicious child's lies in The Children's Hour (1934); a family's ruthless exploitation in The Little Foxes (1939); and the selfishness of the Versailles-treaty generation in Watch on the Rhine (1941). Certain fabrications in her reminiscences, notably in Pentimento (1973), and her support of leftist causes led to controversies, including a legal feud with writer and critic Mary McCarthy.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some of Lillian Hellman's most famous plays?
Lillian Hellman was an American playwright known for dramas addressing injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

Some of her most famous plays include:
* The Children's Hour (1934), which tells of a malicious child whose lies impact two schoolteachers.
* The Little Foxes (1939), a chronicle of greed and hate within a ruthless family in the American South.
* Watch on the Rhine (1941), a play that exposes the dangers of fascism in America.
* Another Part of the Forest (1946), which portrays the Hubbard family 20 years before the events of The Little Foxes.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What themes or topics did Hellman often explore in her plays?
Lillian Hellman's plays often explored themes of injustice, exploitation, and selfishness. Her dramas exposed the presence of evil in various forms, such as a malicious child's lies in The Children's Hour, a ruthless family's exploitation in The Little Foxes, and the irresponsibility of a generation in Watch on the Rhine. Despite criticisms of her views, Hellman's characters were credible due to realistic dialogue and intensity. In the 1950s, she showed skill in Chekhovian drama (The Autumn Garden) and adaptations, and later returned to the well-made play with Toys in the Attic.
1 Britannica Source
1. Lillian Hellman
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How did Lillian Hellman's work reflect or comment on society during her time?
Lillian Hellman was an American playwright who used her dramas to deliver forceful attacks against injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

Hellman's plays often mirrored the social and political issues of her time. For example, The Children's Hour (1934) tackles the devastating impact of malicious lies, while The Little Foxes (1939) and Another Part of the Forest (1946) expose the ruthlessness of a family exploiting their community. Watch on the Rhine (1941) and The Searching Wind (1944) criticize the irresponsibility of the Versailles-treaty generation.

Hellman was a supporter of leftist causes and detailed her experiences with the House Un-American Activities Committee in Scoundrel Time (1976). She refused to name individuals with communist associations and was subsequently blacklisted.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What impact did Lillian Hellman have on American theater and playwrights who came after her?
Lillian Hellman was an American playwright and screenwriter known for dramas that strongly condemned injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

Hellman's plays often featured tight structures and realistic intensity, setting her apart from many contemporary playwrights. Her works explored various forms of evil, as seen in The Children's Hour, The Little Foxes, and Watch on the Rhine. Though sometimes criticized for her views and characters, Hellman's credible dialogue and realistic intensity influenced later playwrights. Her collected plays continued to be performed into the 21st century.
2 Britannica Sources
1. Lillian Hellman
2. Watch on the Rhine
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Lillian Hellman (born June 20, 1905, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.—died June 30, 1984, Tisbury, Massachusetts) was an American playwright and screenwriter whose dramas forcefully attacked injustice, exploitation, and selfishness.

Hellman attended New York public schools and New York University and Columbia University. Her marriage (1925–32) to the American playwright Arthur Kober ended in divorce. She had already begun an intimate relationship with the American novelist Dashiell Hammett that would continue until his death in 1961. In the 1930s, after working as a book reviewer, press agent, play reader, and Hollywood scenarist, Hellman began writing plays.

Her dramas exposed some of the various forms in which evil appears—a malicious child’s lies about two schoolteachers (The Children’s Hour, 1934); a ruthless family’s exploitation of fellow townspeople and one another (The Little Foxes, 1939, and Another Part of the Forest, 1946); and the irresponsible selfishness of the Versailles-treaty generation (Watch on the Rhine, 1941, and The Searching Wind, 1944). Criticized at times for her doctrinaire views and characters, Hellman nevertheless kept her characters from becoming merely social points of view by writing credible dialogue and creating a realistic intensity matched by few of her playwriting contemporaries. These plays exhibit the tight structure and occasional overcontrivance of what is known as the well-made play.

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In the 1950s she showed her skill in handling the more subtle structure of Chekhovian drama (The Autumn Garden, 1951) and in translating and adapting (Jean Anouilh’s The Lark, 1955, and Voltaire’s Candide, 1957, in a musical version). Hellman returned to the well-made play with Toys in the Attic (1960), which was followed by another adaptation, My Mother, My Father, and Me (1963; from Burt Blechman’s novel How Much?). She also edited Anton Chekhov’s Selected Letters (1955) and a collection of stories and short novels, The Big Knockover (1966), by Hammett.

Her reminiscences, begun in An Unfinished Woman (1969), were continued in Pentimento (1973) and Maybe (1980). After their publication, certain fabrications were brought to light, notably her reporting in Pentimento of a personal relationship with a courageous woman she called Julia. The woman on whose actions Hellman’s story was based denied knowing the author. Writer and critic Mary McCarthy accused Hellman of making false statements in her work during an interview on The Dick Cavett Show. After the episode’s airing in 1980, a legal feud ensued that lasted the rest of the playwright’s life.

Hellman, a longtime supporter of leftist causes, detailed in Scoundrel Time (1976) her troubles and those of her friends with the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings during the McCarthy era of the 1950s. Hellman refused to give the committee the names of people who had associations with the Communist Party; she was subsequently blacklisted though not held in contempt of Congress.

Her collected plays, many of which continued to be performed into the late 20th and early 21st centuries, were published in 1971.

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