Glamorous, talented, audacious--Lillian Hellman knew everyone, did everything, had been everywhere. By the age of twenty-nine she had written The Children's Hour, the first of four hit Broadway plays, and soon she was considered a member of America's first rank of dramatists, a position she maintained for more than twenty-five years. Apart from her literary accomplishments--eight original plays and three volumes of memoirs--Hellman lived a rich life filled with notable friendships, controversial political activity, travel, and love affairs, most importantly with Dashiell Hammett. But...