What do you think?
Rate this book
Lilly: Reminiscences of Lillian Hellman
A lifetime friend of Lillian Hellman fondly remembers her colorful life and offers anecdotes on her friends, feuds, romances, and brilliant writing career
- GenresNonfictionBiography
364 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1988
18 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2015
I just couldn't bring myself to like this guy. I can't really put my finger on it. I know he's written other critically acclaimed things, novels and screenplays, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this guy is a creep of one sort or another. That's why I gave the book 3 stars. I do however have a huge respect for Lillian Hellman. In the late 70's Miss Hellman was in Harvard Sq. for a bit, I can't remember now if she was directing one of her plays or whatever, but she was doing something at the Loeb Drama Center on Brattle St. While she was there, she met a young black guy who worked at Buddy's Steak Pit, who she became somewhat enthralled with. He was a really funny and genuine guy, who worked with my friend Jef, and we 3 hung out together some. I would have loved to have met her, but alas, she was never in the restaurant when I was in there. It did say something to me about her, I guess that she wasn't a snob! Anyway, I did enjoy the portions in the book that spoke in her voice. I guess I feel like this Feibleman was taking advantage of her...on one hand, he stuck to his guns and kept himself separate, refusing to marry her, or live with her on a permanent basis, I don't know...she had a gazillion friends, and it was her who wanted him in her life, so if she chose to leave him her Vineyard House that's her business. I did enjoy reading about her life on the Vineyard a place that I love. I think the thing I really enjoyed was the things that her friends said at her graveside which were printed in the Vineyard Gazette. I know I would not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath! But she was funny, so mischevious that I'm surprised a few of her friends didn't try to murder her....loyal, bawdy....and had a great big laugh.
June 5, 2021
Sometimes reading a memoir/biography can teach you a little bit about yourself. When I first read this excellent book, I discovered that love and anger are not necessarily contradictory elements, that they can spring from the same source without canceling each other out. The lesson came from making comparisons. Reading about Lillian Hellman can help us understand people we know who are consumed by love and anger.
Her name conjures up that of Dashiell Hammet, of course, but she was a truly significant writer in her own right. She was funny, and Feibleman is good at showing that. He is also good at showing her ever percolating anger.
As she aged, people sought her out. Younger friends avidly socialized with her even though the elderly are often neglected for their annoying habits. Lillian Helman's major annoying tendency was an irksomeness that could balloon into fury. It must have been fun to see what what she would do with her anger. Her sharp wit was just as likely to prick the balloon of her own outrage and let it sputter off into a rubbery little dropping on the lawn.
Feibleman met Hellman when he was 10 and she was 35. He wrote her a letter. Then when he was 16, he saw her again, and the relationship became semi-permanent in his 20s. They had both grown up in new Orleans and she became his mentor, much as Hammett had for years earlier. They were also romantically involved to a degree. Their relationship extended over 43 years until her death in 1984.
She was bon in 1905. From a wealthy family, her mother married a shoe store manager. From her maternal grandmother, Lillian drew the character of Regina who figures in her most famous play, The Little Foxes. All her life Lillian scorned the rich, and yet was (of course) irresistibly attracted to them. After going to Hollywood as a young woman, Lillian married, divorced, and then met Dashiell hammett, who was approaching the end of his career. He helped Lillian with plotting, then her main weakness. As his career wound out, hers escalated. She wrote The Children's Hour and became "the best known female playwright in the world"
During the McCarthy era, both Hellman and Hammett were called upon to testify. She managed to stay out of jail because she never actually joined the communist part. Notably, she refused to rat on her friends. Hammett did not fare so well because he did belong to the Communist Party. While Hellman was merely blacklisted for ten years and unable to earn a living, Hamm ett was thrown in prison and all the royalties to his published works were confiscated (lest we forget what insanity politics can wreak, even in the field of art and entertainment). When he finally got out of prison, he was a broken man.
Feibleman's reminiscences stick to what he knows and can best convey: Lillian's vivacious and witty personality and their own supremely affectionate relationship. Through support offered in taped dialogues and letters, he shows how Hellman filled her life with adventure--through travel, practical jokes, or snapping at people's heels. She was not one to allow boredom to ruin a day.
Her name conjures up that of Dashiell Hammet, of course, but she was a truly significant writer in her own right. She was funny, and Feibleman is good at showing that. He is also good at showing her ever percolating anger.
As she aged, people sought her out. Younger friends avidly socialized with her even though the elderly are often neglected for their annoying habits. Lillian Helman's major annoying tendency was an irksomeness that could balloon into fury. It must have been fun to see what what she would do with her anger. Her sharp wit was just as likely to prick the balloon of her own outrage and let it sputter off into a rubbery little dropping on the lawn.
Feibleman met Hellman when he was 10 and she was 35. He wrote her a letter. Then when he was 16, he saw her again, and the relationship became semi-permanent in his 20s. They had both grown up in new Orleans and she became his mentor, much as Hammett had for years earlier. They were also romantically involved to a degree. Their relationship extended over 43 years until her death in 1984.
She was bon in 1905. From a wealthy family, her mother married a shoe store manager. From her maternal grandmother, Lillian drew the character of Regina who figures in her most famous play, The Little Foxes. All her life Lillian scorned the rich, and yet was (of course) irresistibly attracted to them. After going to Hollywood as a young woman, Lillian married, divorced, and then met Dashiell hammett, who was approaching the end of his career. He helped Lillian with plotting, then her main weakness. As his career wound out, hers escalated. She wrote The Children's Hour and became "the best known female playwright in the world"
During the McCarthy era, both Hellman and Hammett were called upon to testify. She managed to stay out of jail because she never actually joined the communist part. Notably, she refused to rat on her friends. Hammett did not fare so well because he did belong to the Communist Party. While Hellman was merely blacklisted for ten years and unable to earn a living, Hamm ett was thrown in prison and all the royalties to his published works were confiscated (lest we forget what insanity politics can wreak, even in the field of art and entertainment). When he finally got out of prison, he was a broken man.
Feibleman's reminiscences stick to what he knows and can best convey: Lillian's vivacious and witty personality and their own supremely affectionate relationship. Through support offered in taped dialogues and letters, he shows how Hellman filled her life with adventure--through travel, practical jokes, or snapping at people's heels. She was not one to allow boredom to ruin a day.
February 6, 2009
My wife, who's a fan of Lillian Hellman's writing, found this book at the library; I'm not sure that it's still available elsewhere. In any event, this is a fascinating and very personal account of Hellman's life. She was a true eccentric, a talented writer, and a challenging and mercurial friend of the author and other notables. This was one of those books that I missed once I finished it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews