The Lillian Hellman papers comprise manuscripts, correspondence, legal documents, business records, appointment books, scrapbooks, and clippings. The collection, which spans the years 1904 to 1984, is largely in its original order. The material is arranged in five series: Series I. Works, 1934-84; Series II. Correspondence, 1904-84; Series III. Other Papers, 1922-84; Series IV. Legal and Financial Papers, 1942-84; and Series V. Works by and Papers of Others, 1934-84.
The Works Series of 44 boxes consists of two subseries, one embracing Hellman's drama, the second her film scripts, memoirs, and other work (interviews, short prose, speeches, editorial work, and teaching). Miss Hellman maintained her archive of creative work with considerable care, retaining successive drafts, with inserted revisions and corrections. A number of galleys, some with author's annotations, are present, as are extensive research notes for several plays.
The Correspondence Series, running to 47 boxes, contains Hellman's professional, business, and household correspondence files, particularly from the late 1940s onward. Carbons of much of her outgoing correspondence are included.
Correspondents include agents Don Congdon and Robert Lantz, lawyers Oscar Bernstien and Stanley M. Isaacs, and the publishing firms Knopf, Little Brown, and Random House. Personal correspondence is generally absent, but there are at least a few letters present from such friends and colleagues as Leonard Bernstein, John Hersey, Richard Poirier, Margaret Tallichet (Talli Wyler), and Richard Wilbur.
The Other Papers Series is, at 49 boxes, the largest in the collection, containing a miscellany of address books, appointment books, clippings, notebooks, and scrapbooks. The clippings and scrapbooks which represent the majority of the series are, to an extent, mutually exclusive both in subject matter and time coverage. The clippings file, which was maintained until the end of Miss Hellman's life, devotes considerable space to political matters. Attention to political issues is particularly strong for the years 1948 to 1952. The scrapbooks, which include programs and some telegrams and correspondence as well as clippings, are devoid of political affairs and were not created after 1981.
The Legal and Financial Papers Series is a disparate collection of records of Lillian Hellman's investments, personal taxes, household expenses, as well as a miscellany of retired legal files. Of greatest interest here is the documentation of her acquisition and administration of the literary estate of Dashiell Hammett.
The Works by and Papers of Others Series is, at four boxes, the smallest in the collection. Found here are several short pieces about Hellman, a late typescript draft of Diane Johnson's biography of Dashiell Hammett, and galleys and page proofs of the 1974 Hammett anthology The Continental Op. A substantial group of reports and documents concerning Lillian Hellman compiled by various federal agencies between 1940 and 1975 and obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by Peter Benjaminson also appears in the series.
A small group of sound recordings, including Lillian Hellman's university seminar class discussions, has been withdrawn to the Sound Recordings Collection. Likewise, diplomas, plaques, and other awards are housed in the Ransom Center's Personal Effects Collection.
Other collections at the Ransom Center containing material by or related to Lillian Hellman are those of Dashiell Hammett, Elizabeth Hardwick, Robert Lowell, Norman Mailer, and Bernard Malamud.
| Lillian Hellman Papers Finding Aid | |||||
| Title Page | Biographical Sketch |
Scope and Contents |
Series Descriptions |
Folder List | Index of Correspondents |
Reference queries to: reference@hrc.utexas.edu
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