Fact or Fiction
Peers and critics of Lillian Hellman saw a divisive figure in her.
Hellman came from a well-to-do family, but this didn't shield her from some harsh realities. She became aware of her Jewish heritage at a young age. Many believed that it was a turning point in her life. Did this inspired her to be a writer? Did it prompted her to fight certain causes? Did it turned her into an uncompromising character? These questions were hard to answer if one would look at her life. She was put in the hot seat many times.
It was hard to put a good talent down, even if some questioned her genuineness.
Don't call her a Commie
Hellman insisted that she was never a Communist. She attended a number of meetings (organized by the US Communist Party), but she insisted that there was nothing more. But she went to Spain to cover the Spanish Civil War. Martha Gellhorn, another female journalist who reported about the tumultuous happenings, accused Hellman of inaccuracy. Did she gave her craft a bad name? Perhaps not. But it could be something else.
Hellman was the author of several plays that were adapted to the big screen. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay. (Paul Lukas won the Best Actor Oscar for "Watch on the Rhine", which was based from Hellman's play.) She could've made it big, but she came at the wrong time. America was becoming paranoid of subversive individuals who might be communists or fascists. The big studios of Hollywood required their talents to sign a contract, which Hellman refused. Her career was affected, but she held her ground. Many believed that she didn't want her relationship with Dashiell Hammett to end. (The author of "The Maltese Falcon" was a radical.) But it could be something else.
A case of conflicting stories
Fred Zinnemann's "Julia" was nominated for eleven Academy Awards. It was based from one of Hellman's tales in "Pentimento"; the author and titular character were close friends. The latter would be involved in the fight against Nazism, enlisting Hellman's help in smuggling money (to finance the cause). It had all the elements of a good story, which became haunting and tragic after Hellman learned about Julia's murder. And then came the suspicions that the entire tale was a product of Hellman's imagination.
After the film's release, New York psychiatrist Muriel Gardiner claimed that the movie was a fictionalized account of her life. There were more startling revelations, one of which was she never met Hellman. The matter was brought to court; Hellman, through her lawyer, swore that Julia was real. Public opinion would lean to Gardiner. They believed in Julia's existence, but she might have led an uneventful life. Only Hellman would answer if this was coincidence. She fought her battles - and held her ground.
