Customer Reviews

Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers

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In "Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers", Jo Hammett has compiled her own impressions and memories of her father, in part to dispute some of his more careless biographers. I didn't expect much beyond sentimental and possibly superficial recollections of a daughter who saw her father only occasionally when I began reading this book. I must admit I underestimated the author's forthrightness. Jo Hammett obviously loved and admired her parents, but she doesn't hesitate to speak of their faults. Jo was a child in her father's productive writing years, but in his later years she was his frequent correspondent and link to his family. This book starts with a little history of the Hammett, Dashiell, and Dolan (her mother's) families and general history of her parents' romance and her father's life before he settled down to family life in San Francisco. Jo Hammett goes on to speak of Dashiell's relationship with his usually estranged family, Lillian Hellman, his time in the Army, in prison, his drinking, poor health, and the time she spent with him the year before his death. I felt that I got a clearer picture of Dashiell Hammett's personality from this book than from reading some of his biographies. It is from one person's perspective, but the book is insightful as far as it goes. The text and about 130 photographs and illustrations, mostly from family albums, are printed on slick white paper that displays them well. Fans and scholars of Dashiell Hammett will appreciate Jo Hammett's observations and fond memories in "A Daughter Remembers".

While I enjoyed this book by Dashiell Hammett's daughter, Josephine, it was not quite what I expected. I purchased Dashiell Hammett: A Daughter Remembers thinking that it was going to be an in-depth biography about Dashiell Hammett. Instead, it is a short book filled with remembrances of her dad that are short snippets and stories and anecdotes. While the book is filled with many wonderful photos, the story skips around a bit and Jo Hammett doesn't delve into any one topic (early years, married life, Lillian Hellman, service years, prision time, etc.) in any great detail. Still, Hammett was a very fascinating character and his daughter tries to give us just a little insight into the real man. She also tries to separate some of the Hammett-myth that was created and perpetuated by long-time friend and lover, Lillian Hellman. While I enjoyed the things that I read, I just wish there had been more.

Jo Hammett's book about her father, fabled tough-guy writer Dashiell Hammett, includes many family photos and documents never before seen by Hammett enthusiasts. The book, printed on glossy paper, is visually appealing. Jo Hammett's description of her childhood years, when her father's presence was a treat and time spent with him seemed magical, must be weighed against her growing realization that her parents were hopelessly mismatched, that her father was an intensely private man who shared his life with no one, not even his long-time mistress, Lillian Hellman.

Her father found his niche in American publishing, and is beloved by many readers devoted to his hard-boiled style. His family life, or the lack of it, may take some of the sheen from his image. A pervasive sadness invades this book.

One star is for the lovely photographs (many of which I've never seen in any other Hammett or Hellman biography or memoir) and the other is for the candor with which the author speaks of her father. Unfortunately, she doesn't really go into much depth about their relationship and deals with her sister, Mary, and that relationship in a superficial fashion. The author has an idealized and rather limited view of the relationship between her parents. Josephine Hammett reveals more of herself, and evokes more sympathy for what could have been between father and daughter, rather than shed any new light on Hammett, the man or the father.

This is one of the two most important books about Dashiell Hammett. Surprisingly, it is the only nonfiction book about Hammett written by someone who actually knew him.

Luckily, his daughter Jo turns out to be a good writer herself. As well as providing facts about the man not available anywhere else, her book gives a more deeply-felt look at Dashiell Hammett than any other book. It also provides by far the best selection of photos of Hammett: more than 100 from his early days, his Hollywood-NY celebrity time, his final years. Almost all the photos are previously unpublished.

A good foreword by Hammett scholar Richard Layman sets the stage by recounting Hammett's literary accomplishments and by telling how Lillian Hellman distorted accounts of Hammett's life, how she seized control of Hammett's literary properties, and how the Hammett family regained control.

This book corrects Hellman's distortions to give us a more accurate view of who Hammett really was. It is a fun, informative, and touching read. It was nominated for an Edgar Award as Best Biography of the Year. Recommended for anyone interested in Hammett.