An Unfinished Woman: A Memoir (Back Bay Books)

by Lillian Hellman

Other authorsWendy Wasserstein (Contributor)

Paperback, 1999

Status

Available

Call number

PS3515.E343 Z5

Publication

Back Bay Books (1999), Edition: 1st Back Bay pbk. ed, Paperback, 304 pages

Description

Caustic, brilliant, uncompromising, accomplished, Lillian Hellman, one writer noted, can "take the tops off bottles with her teeth." Her career as a playwright began in 1938 with The Children's Hour, the first of seven plays that would bring her international attention and praise. Thirty years later, Hellman unleashed her peerless wit and candor on the subject she knew best: herself. An Unfinished Woman is a rich, surprising, emotionally charged portrait of a bygone world -- and of an independent-minded woman coming into her own. Wendy Wasserstein's introduction to this new edition provides a fascinating literary and historical context for reexamining Lillian Hellman's life and achievement.

User reviews

LibraryThing member cpprpnny770

interesting autobio of the playwrite/author including her relationship with and death of Dorothy Parker, her long romance with and death of Daschiel Hammet, author of the Thin Man series, and being black-balled in McCarthy era Hollywood.

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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling

This memoir was a wonderful introduction to the person Hellman after I'd only recently discovered her plays. It's a fast read, and what's given feels real, and is delivered in such a straightforward and ironic fashion that a reader can't help but be entertained and driven to the end of the book.

Strongly recommended.

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LibraryThing member ffortsa

I read this many years ago, before I heard that Mary McCarthy accused Hellman of lying with every word she wrote. An interesting catfight. The book was the basis of the movie Julia.

LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin

This is an interesting look at the more private life of iconic playwright Lillian Hellman. She doesn't explain her writing process per se, but rather discusses the people she meets and the places she goes. It's a great read not only for learning about Hellman but also for learning more about the

cultural milieu of the times. The only downside was sometimes she mentioned names or events in her life as if the reader should automatically know what she was talking about (i.e., she refers often to "Dash" with no explanation. I already knew that she was romantically involved with writer Dashiell Hammett, but any uninitiated reader wouldn't know that's who she is referring to or how they got involved in the first place). I get the feeling that perhaps she wrote another memoir first that explained more about her early life and would shed light on these parts of this book. Still, overall, this is a book worth reading, especially if you have any interest in the time period.

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