2. Biography
• Born In New Orleans,
Louisiana in 1905
• Moved back and forth
from New Orleans and
New York when she was
young
3. Biography
• Attended Columbia University and
New York University
• Following college, she worked for a
publishing house where she
witnessed the lifestyle of both an
artist and a writer
• Married New Yorker writer Arthur
Kober in 1925
4. Biography
• Worked as a manuscript reader for a
publishing company, Liveright
Publishers
• Worked as a writer for the Herald
Tribune
• Worked as a main play reader for
Herman Shumlin, a well known
producer
• Divorced her husband in 1932 after
meeting Dashiell Hammett
• Marriage to Dashiell Hammett lasted
30 years
6. Major Works
• First Work- “The Children’s Hour.” The
accomplishments this play received gave
her a successful role in the writing world
as it was based on a true story in
Scotland
• After her next play “Days to Come” was
not as successful as the first, she left
and traveled to Europe
• Studied the Spanish Civil War alongside
Earnest Hemingway which led to her
next play, “The Little Foxes.” This play
was considered to be one of the most
inspirational play in the history of
American theatre.
7. Major
Works/Biography
• In addition to her theatre
work, she also had three
memoirs, about her real life
experiences. These
included “An Unfinished
Woman,” “Pentimento: A
Book of Portraits,” and
“Scoundrel Time”
• Died on June 30, 1984 in
Martha’s Vineyard after
facing health issues,
including blindness
9. Awards and Honors
• Received the New York City Critics
Award for “Watch on Rhine,”
which was written during World
War II.
• Won her second New York Critics
award for “Toys in the Attic” a
play about tragic love
• Received the New York Critics
Circle Award in 1941 and 1960
10. Awards and Honors
• Given the Gold Medal Award from
the Academy of Arts and Letters for
Distinguished Achievement in
Theatre in 1964
• Chosen for the Theatre Hall of Fame
in 1973
• Received the National Book Award
for, “An Unfinished Woman,” and
“Pentimento: A Book of Portraits”
11. Themes
• Lillian Hellman wrote
plays with vivid
characters, strong
dialogue, and a
moralistic tone. One
of her most
important themes
was that good people
must actively oppose
evil or disaster will
ensue.
12. Themes
• She explored highly
controversial themes, with
many of her plays reflecting
her outspoken political and
social views
• Traveling to Nazi Germany in
1929, Lillian Hellman learned
of fascism and anti-Semitism,
themes in her later work
13. Video
“The Little Foxes”
• “The Little Foxes” is the most
popular piece of drama by
Lillian Hellman
• It tells a story of family greed
and revenge
• http://youtu.be/AfIVKdTQ-Uk
