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Hellman and Hammett: Lillian Hellman and Dashiel Hammett; Art, Politics, Love, War by Joan Mellen
canadiantiquarian's review
2.0
There is value in the massive amount of information Mellen imparts, but only after picking through the gossipy and muddled writing.
Her writing style (often repetitive and long-winded) feels like a defiance of the very literary passion she is attempting to encapsulate, as she writes about Hammett's concise prose and his strict and uncompromising edits of Hellman's early work.
The bigger problem, though, is how she deals with two volatile subjects and the mysteries Hammett's and Hellman's lives have left on their legacy. Her commentary is superficial and rarely thoughtful, choosing to buy into pervasive narratives rather than truly investigate and explore them.
(There is, for example, much to consider about how Hellman's position as a woman in era where her looks, ego, and personality defied all social norms. Instead, Mellen defines Hellman by the very attitudes the writer obviously battled against, and fails to explore how these elements are interconnected.)
Hammett's and Hellman's lives are fascinating, but what might be most compelling about the book is how it unintentionally explores the folly in creating "truth" between the lines of scant letters, insights, and interviews.
Her writing style (often repetitive and long-winded) feels like a defiance of the very literary passion she is attempting to encapsulate, as she writes about Hammett's concise prose and his strict and uncompromising edits of Hellman's early work.
The bigger problem, though, is how she deals with two volatile subjects and the mysteries Hammett's and Hellman's lives have left on their legacy. Her commentary is superficial and rarely thoughtful, choosing to buy into pervasive narratives rather than truly investigate and explore them.
(There is, for example, much to consider about how Hellman's position as a woman in era where her looks, ego, and personality defied all social norms. Instead, Mellen defines Hellman by the very attitudes the writer obviously battled against, and fails to explore how these elements are interconnected.)
Hammett's and Hellman's lives are fascinating, but what might be most compelling about the book is how it unintentionally explores the folly in creating "truth" between the lines of scant letters, insights, and interviews.
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