TOPOLOGICAL STRINGS FROM WZW MODELS

We show that the BRST structure of the topological string is encoded i n the ''small'' N = 4 superconformal algebra, enabling us to obtain, i n a non-trivial way, the string theory from hamiltonian reduction of A (1 \ 1). This leads to the important conclusion that not only ordinary string theories, but topological strings as well, can be obtained, or even defined, by hamiltonian reduction from WZW models. Using two dif ferent gradations, we find either the standard N = 2 minimal models co upled to topological gravity, or an embedding of the bosonic string in to the topological string. We also comment briefly on the generalizati on to super Lie algebras A(n \ n).