Leftist playwright, novelist, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Albert Maltz was a gifted artist who proved himself in multiple genres. He was also famous as one of the Hollywood Ten, a group of film industry figures who challenged the constitutional legitimacy of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) during the Cold War. For refusing to cooperate with the congressional investigation into alleged communist subversion, Maltz was fined, jailed for ten months, and thwarted as a writer for almost twenty years. 

Both of Maltz’s parents were Jewish immigrants. His mother, Lena, was born in Poland and brought to New York as an infant in 1876. As a girl she dreamed of becoming a teacher but was forced to quit school in her early teens to work in a garment factory, where she

3041 words

Citation: Chura, Patrick. "Albert Maltz". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 January 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2903, accessed 13 December 2024.]

2903 Albert Maltz 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.