Four full-length biographies, several shared biographies, and a series of memoirs have already been devoted to the life of Lillian Hellman (1905−1984); readers hardly need another full account of her life, as author Gallagher explains in her prologue. Instead, Gallagher focuses on the thornier aspects of Hellman’s story: How could Hellman have supported Stalin, knowing how many millions he was murdering? Did she really confront the House Committee on Un-American Activities in a uniquely principled fashion, as she argued? If she was really so fond of Dashiell Hammett and Dorothy Parker, why, after they died, did she try to pry their estates away from their intended heirs? Did she fabricate the character of “Julia,” the basis of the Oscar-winning film, and then lie about it? Indeed, were most of her accounts of her own principled stances…lies? In one slim volume, with a few carefully chosen examples, Gallagher manages to reduce an enormous cultural icon — a larger-than-life, scoundrel-fighting literary warrior — to sadly mortal proportions, a talented woman driven by self-justification who ended in self-delusion. There’s nothing even-handed about Gallagher’s account, but it certainly balances out Hellman’s own propaganda. Index, notes, photographs.
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Bettina Berch, author of the recent biography, From Hester Street to Hollywood: The Life and Work of Anzia Yezierska, teaches part-time at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.
