Arthur Miller
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Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright,
essayist An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal ...
and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''
Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...
'' (1949), ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...
'' (1953), and '' A View from the Bridge'' (1955). He wrote several screenplays and was most noted for his work on '' The Misfits'' (1961). The drama ''Death of a Salesman'' is considered one of the best American plays of the 20th century. Miller was often in the public eye, particularly during the late 1940s, '50s and early '60s. During this time, he received a
Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and married
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. In 1980, he received the St. Louis Literary Award from the Saint Louis University Library Associates. He received the
Praemium Imperiale Prince Takamatsu The Praemium Imperiale ( ja, 高松宮殿下記念世界文化賞, Takamatsu-no-miya Denka Kinen Sekai Bunka-shō, World Culture Prize in Memory of His Imperial Highness Prince Takamatsu) is an international art prize inaugur ...
prize in 2001, the
Prince of Asturias Award The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of a ...
in 2002, and the Jerusalem Prize in 2003, and the
Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize or Gish Prize is given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life." It is among the most prestigious and on ...
in 1999.


Biography


Early life

Miller was born in
Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
, in the
New York City borough New York City is composed of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of New York State, making New York City the largest U.S. municipality situated in mult ...
of
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, the second of three children of Augusta (Barnett) and Isidore Miller. He was
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and of Polish-Jewish descent. His father was born in
Radomyśl Wielki Radomyśl Wielki () is a town in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, (Mielec County), Poland, with a population of 3,231 inhabitants (30.06.2019). The town lies on a local road nr. 984, running between Tarnów and Mielec and within the historic borde ...
, Galicia (then part of
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, now Poland), and his mother was a native of New York whose parents also arrived from that town. Isidore owned a women's clothing manufacturing business employing 400 people. He became a wealthy and respected man in the community. The family, including Miller's younger sister
Joan Copeland Joan Maxine Kupchik ( Miller; June 1, 1922 – January 4, 2022), known professionally as Joan Copeland, was an American actress. She was the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940s, appearing in thea ...
, lived on West
110th Street 110th Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is commonly known as the boundary between Harlem and Central Park, along which it is known as Central Park North. In the west, between Central Park West/Frederick Dougl ...
in Manhattan, owned a summer house in
Far Rockaway, Queens Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the eastern part of the Rockaway peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood extends from Beach 32nd Street east to the Nassau County line ...
, and employed a chauffeur. In the
Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...
, the family lost almost everything and moved to
Gravesend, Brooklyn Gravesend is a neighborhood in the south-central section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, on the southwestern edge of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It is bounded by the Belt Parkway to the south, Bay Parkway to the west ...
.The Times Arthur Miller Obituary, (London: The Times, 2005) (One source says they moved to
Midwood Midwood is a neighborhood in the south-central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded on the north by the Bay Ridge Branch tracks just above Avenue I and by the Brooklyn College campus of the City University of New York, a ...
.) As a teenager, Miller delivered bread every morning before school to help the family. Miller later published an account of his early years under the title "A Boy Grew in Brooklyn". After graduating in 1932 from Abraham Lincoln High School, he worked at several menial jobs to pay for his college tuition at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. After graduation (), he worked as a psychiatric aide and copywriter before accepting faculty posts at
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...
and
University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, m ...
. On May 1, 1935, he joined the
League of American Writers The League of American Writers was an association of American novelists, playwrights, poets, journalists, and literary critics launched by the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) in 1935. The group included Communist Party members, and so-called " fell ...
(1935–1943), whose members included Alexander Trachtenberg of
International Publishers International Publishers is a book publishing company based in New York City, specializing in Marxist works of economics, political science, and history. Company history Establishment International Publishers Company, Inc., was founded in 1924 ...
, Franklin Folsom,
Louis Untermeyer Louis Untermeyer (October 1, 1885 – December 18, 1977) was an American poet, anthologist, critic, and editor. He was appointed the fourteenth Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1961. Life and career Untermeyer was born in New Y ...
, I. F. Stone,
Myra Page Dorothy Markey (born Dorothy Page Gary, 1897–1993), known by the pen name Myra Page, was a 20th-century American communist writer, journalist, union activist, and teacher. Background Page was born Dorothy Page Gary on October 1, 1897, ...
,
Millen Brand Millen Brand (January 19, 1906 – March 19, 1980) was an American writer and poet. His novels, ''The Outward Room'' (1938) and ''Savage Sleep'' (1968), addressed mental health institutions and were bestsellers in their day. Personal life B ...
,
Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...
and
Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...
. (Members were largely either
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
members or
fellow travelers The term ''fellow traveller'' (also ''fellow traveler'') identifies a person who is intellectually sympathetic to the ideology of a political organization, and who co-operates in the organization's politics, without being a formal member of that o ...
.) At the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, Miller first majored in
journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the " news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...
and wrote for the student newspaper, ''
The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...
'', and the satirical '' Gargoyle Humor Magazine''. It was during this time that he wrote his first play, '' No Villain''. He switched his major to
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
, and subsequently won the Avery Hopwood Award for ''No Villain.'' The award led him to consider that he could have a career as a playwright. He enrolled in a playwriting seminar with the influential Professor Kenneth Rowe, who emphasized how a play was built to achieve its intended effect, or what Miller called "the dynamics of play construction". Rowe gave Miller realistic feedback and much-needed encouragement, and became a lifelong friend. Miller retained strong ties to his alma mater through the rest of his life, establishing the university's Arthur Miller Award in 1985 and the Arthur Miller Award for Dramatic Writing in 1999, and lending his name to the Arthur Miller Theatre in 2000. In 1937, Miller wrote '' Honors at Dawn,'' which also received the Avery Hopwood Award. After his graduation in 1938, he joined the Federal Theatre Project, a New Deal agency established to provide jobs in the theater. He chose the theater project despite the more lucrative offer to work as a scriptwriter for
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. However,
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, worried about possible Communist infiltration, closed the project in 1939. Miller began working in the
Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
while continuing to write
radio plays Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
, some of which were broadcast on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
.


Early career

In 1940, Miller married Mary Grace Slattery. The couple had two children, Jane (born September 7, 1944) and Robert (May 31, 1947 - March 6th, 2022). Miller was exempted from military service during World War II because of a high school football injury to his left kneecap. In 1944 Miller's first play was produced; ''
The Man Who Had All the Luck ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' is a play by Arthur Miller, his second major play (after '' No Villain''). ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' follows protagonist David Beeves’ existential exploration into the enigmatic question of how fate and t ...
'' and won the Theatre Guild's National Award. The play closed after four performances with disastrous reviews. In 1947, Miller's play '' All My Sons'', the writing of which had commenced in 1941, was a success on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
(earning him his first
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
, for Best Author) and his reputation as a playwright was established. Years later, in a 1994 interview with
Ron Rifkin Ron Rifkin (born Saul M. Rifkin; October 31, 1939) is an American actor best known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama '' Alias'', Saul Holden on the drama '' Brothers & Sisters'', and District Attorney Ellis Loew in '' L.A. Confiden ...
, Miller said that most contemporary critics regarded ''All My Sons'' as "a very depressing play in a time of great optimism" and that positive reviews from
Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' had saved it from failure. In 1948, Miller built a small studio in
Roxbury, Connecticut Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,260 at the 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City. History Roxbury, whose Native name was ''Shepaug'', a Mahican word signifying "roc ...
. There, in less than a day, he wrote Act I of ''
Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...
''. Within six weeks, he completed the rest of the play, one of the classics of world theater. ''Death of a Salesman'' premiered on Broadway on February 10, 1949, at the Morosco Theatre, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring
Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...
as
Willy Loman William "Willy" Loman is a fictional character and the protagonist of Arthur Miller's play ''Death of a Salesman'', which debuted on Broadway with Lee J. Cobb playing Loman at the Morosco Theatre on February 10, 1949. Loman is a 63-year-old t ...
,
Mildred Dunnock Mildred Dorothy Dunnock (January 25, 1901 – July 5, 1991) was an American stage and screen actress. She was twice nominated for an Academy Award: first ''Death of a Salesman'' in 1951, then '' Baby Doll'' in 1956. Early life Born in Baltimor ...
as Linda, Arthur Kennedy as Biff, and Cameron Mitchell as Happy. The play was commercially successful and critically acclaimed, winning a
Tony Award for Best Author The Tony Award for Best Author is a now retired category once presented to playwrights, authors and librettists of theatrical plays and musicals. Only nine awards were presented from 1947 to 1965, and it is often grouped with the category Best ...
, the New York Drama Circle Critics' Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards. The play was performed 742 times. In 1949, Miller exchanged letters with
Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Literature, literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama tech ...
regarding Miller's production of ''All My Sons''. O'Neill had sent Miller a congratulatory telegram; in response, he wrote a letter that consisted of a few paragraphs detailing his gratitude for the telegram, apologizing for not responding earlier, and inviting Eugene to the opening of ''Death of a Salesman''. O'Neill replied, accepting the apology, but declining the invitation, explaining that his
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
made it difficult to travel. He ended the letter with an invitation to
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, a trip that never occurred.


Critical years

In 1955, a one-act version of Miller's
verse drama Verse drama is any drama written significantly in verse (that is: with line endings) to be performed by an actor before an audience. Although verse drama does not need to be ''primarily'' in verse to be considered verse drama, significant portio ...
'' A View from the Bridge'' opened on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in a joint bill with one of Miller's lesser-known plays, ''
A Memory of Two Mondays ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' is a one-act play by Arthur Miller. He began writing the play in 1952, while working on '' The Crucible'', and completed it in 1955. Based on Miller's own experiences, the play focuses on a group of desperate workers ...
''. The following year, Miller revised ''A View from the Bridge'' as a two-act
prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...
drama, which
Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...
directed in London. A French-Italian co-production ''
Vu du pont ''A View from the Bridge'' (french: Vu du pont, it, Uno sguardo dal ponte) is a 1962 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the Arthur Miller A View from the Bridge, play of the same name. The film was an international co-production betwee ...
'', based on the play, was released in 1962.


Marriages and family

In June 1956, Miller left his first wife, Mary Slattery, whom he married in 1940, and wed film star
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
. They met in 1951, had a brief affair, and remained in contact. Monroe had just turned 30 when they married; she never had a real family of her own and was eager to join the family of her new husband.Meyers, Jeffrey. ''The Genius and the Goddess: Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe.'' University of Illinois Press (2010) Monroe began to reconsider her career and the fact that trying to manage it made her feel helpless. She admitted to Miller, "I hate Hollywood. I don't want it any more. I want to live quietly in the country and just be there when you need me. I can't fight for myself any more." Monroe
converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. " ...
to "express her loyalty and get close to both Miller and his parents", writes biographer Jeffrey Meyers. She told her close friend, Susan Strasberg: "I can identify with the
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
. Everybody's always out to get them, no matter what they do, like me." Soon after Monroe converted,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
banned all of her movies. Away from Hollywood and the culture of celebrity, Monroe's life became more normal; she began cooking, keeping house and giving Miller more attention and affection than he had been used to. Later that year, Miller was subpoenaed by the HUAC, and Monroe accompanied him.Çakırtaş, Önder
"Double Portrayed: Tituba, Racism and Politics."
''International Journal of Language Academy''. Volume 1/1 Winter 2013, pp. 13–22.
In her personal notes, she wrote about her worries during this period: Miller began work on writing the screenplay for '' The Misfits'' in 1960, directed by John Huston and starring Monroe. It was during the filming that Miller's and Monroe's relationship hit difficulties, and he later said that the filming was one of the lowest points in his life. Monroe was taking drugs to help her sleep and more drugs to help her wake up, which caused her to arrive on the set late and then have trouble remembering her lines. Huston was unaware that Miller and Monroe were having problems in their private life. He recalled later, "I was impertinent enough to say to Arthur that to allow her to take drugs of any kind was criminal and utterly irresponsible. Shortly after that I realized that she wouldn't listen to Arthur at all; he had no say over her actions." Shortly before the film's premiere in 1961, Miller and Monroe divorced after five years of marriage. Nineteen months later, on August 5, 1962, Monroe died of a likely drug overdose. Huston, who had also directed her in her first major role in ''
The Asphalt Jungle ''The Asphalt Jungle'' is a 1950 American film noir heist film directed by John Huston. Based on the 1949 novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett, it tells the story of a jewel robbery in a Midwestern city. The film stars Sterling Hayden and L ...
'' in 1950, and who had seen her rise to stardom, put the blame for her death on her doctors as opposed to the stresses of being a star: "The girl was an addict of
sleeping pills Hypnotic (from Greek ''Hypnos'', sleep), or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of (and umbrella term for) psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep (or surgical anesthesiaWhen used in anesthesia ...
and she was made so by the God-damn doctors. It had nothing to do with the Hollywood set-up." In February 1962, Miller married photographer
Inge Morath Ingeborg Hermine Morath (; 27 May 1923 – 30 January 2002) was an Austrian photographer. In 1953, she joined the Magnum Photos Agency, founded by top photographers in Paris, and became a full photographer with the agency in 1955. Morath was the ...
, who had worked as a photographer documenting the production of ''The Misfits''. The first of their two children, Rebecca, was born September 15, 1962. Their son Daniel was born with
Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
in November 1966. Against his wife's wishes, Miller had him institutionalized, first at a home for infants in New York City, then at the
Southbury Training School Southbury Training School is a large residential facility in the towns of Southbury and Roxbury, Connecticut. It was built in the 1930s as a large state-funded and state-operated residential and habilitative facility for adults with intellectu ...
in Connecticut. Though Morath visited Daniel often, Miller never visited him at the school and rarely spoke of him. Miller and Inge remained together until her death in 2002. Miller's son-in-law, actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
, is said to have visited Daniel frequently, and to have persuaded Miller to meet with him.


HUAC controversy and ''The Crucible''

In 1952, Elia Kazan appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Kazan named eight members of the Group Theatre, including
Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...
,
Paula Strasberg Paula Strasberg (born Pearl Miller; March 8, 1909 – April 29, 1966) was an American stage actress. She became actor and teacher Lee Strasberg's second wife and mother of actors John and Susan Strasberg, as well as Marilyn Monroe's acting coac ...
,
Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...
, J. Edward Bromberg, and
John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...
, who in recent years had been fellow members of the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
. Miller and Kazan were close friends throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, but after Kazan's testimony to the HUAC, the pair's friendship ended. After speaking with Kazan about his testimony, Miller traveled to
Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem would become one of the most significant seaports tr ...
, to research the witch trials of 1692. He and Kazan did not speak to each other for the next ten years. Kazan later defended his own actions through his film '' On the Waterfront'', in which a dockworker heroically testifies against a corrupt union boss. Miller would retaliate against Kazan's work by writing '' A View from the Bridge'', a play where a longshoreman outs his co-workers motivated only by jealousy and greed. He sent a copy of the initial script to Kazan and when the director asked in jest to direct the movie, Miller replied "I only sent you the script to let you know what I think of Stool-Pigeons." In ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...
'', Miller likened the situation with the House Un-American Activities Committee to the witch hunt in Salem in 1692. The play opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on Broadway on January 22, 1953. Though widely considered only somewhat successful at the time of its release, today ''The Crucible'' is Miller's most frequently produced work throughout the world. It was adapted into an opera by Robert Ward in 1961. The HUAC took an interest in Miller himself not long after ''The Crucible'' opened, engineering the US State Department's denying him a passport to attend the play's London opening in 1954. When Miller applied in 1956 for a routine renewal of his passport, the House Un-American Activities Committee used this opportunity to
subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
him to appear before the committee. Before appearing, Miller asked the committee not to ask him to name names, to which the chairman,
Francis E. Walter Francis Eugene Walter (May 26, 1894 – May 31, 1963) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Walter was a prominent member of the House Un-American Activities Committee ...
(D-PA) agreed. When Miller attended the hearing, to which Monroe accompanied him, risking her own career, he gave the committee a detailed account of his political activities. Reneging on the chairman's promise, the committee demanded the names of friends and colleagues who had participated in similar activities. Miller refused to comply, saying "I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him." As a result, a judge found Miller guilty of contempt of Congress in May 1957. Miller was sentenced to a fine and a prison sentence, blacklisted, and disallowed a US passport. In August 1958, his conviction was overturned by the court of appeals, which ruled that Miller had been misled by the chairman of the HUAC. Miller's experience with the HUAC affected him throughout his life. In the late 1970s, he joined other celebrities (including
William Styron William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work. Styron was best known for his novels, including: * '' Lie Down in Darkness'' (1951), his acclaimed fi ...
and
Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Michael Igor Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian. He was noted for his ability to work across a range of genres and for his aptitude fo ...
) who were brought together by the journalist Joan Barthel. Barthel's coverage of the highly publicized Barbara Gibbons murder case helped raise bail for Gibbons' son Peter Reilly, who had been convicted of his mother's murder based on what many felt was a coerced confession and little other evidence. Barthel documented the case in her book ''A Death in Canaan'', which was made as a television film of the same name and broadcast in 1978. ''
City Confidential ''City Confidential'' is an American documentary television show, originally transmitted on the A&E Network, which singled out a community during each episode and investigated a crime that had occurred there. Rather than being a straightforward ...
'', an A&E Network series, produced an episode about the murder, postulating that part of the reason Miller took such an active interest (including supporting Reilly's defense and using his own celebrity to bring attention to Reilly's plight) was because he had felt similarly persecuted in his run-ins with the HUAC. He sympathized with Reilly, whom he firmly believed to be innocent and to have been railroaded by the
Connecticut State Police The Connecticut State Police (CSP) is a division of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Connecticut, especially in areas not served by ...
and the Attorney General who had initially prosecuted the case.


Later career

In 1964, '' After the Fall'' was produced, and is said to be a deeply personal view of Miller's experiences during his marriage to Monroe. It reunited Miller with his former friend Kazan; they collaborated on the script and direction. It opened on January 23, 1964 at the
ANTA Theatre The August Wilson Theatre (formerly the Guild Theatre, ANTA Theatre, and Virginia Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 245 West 52nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1925, the theater was designed ...
in
Washington Square Park Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
amid a flurry of publicity and outrage at putting a Monroe-like character, Maggie, on stage. Robert Brustein, in a review in the '' New Republic'', called ''After the Fall'' "a three and one half hour breach of taste, a confessional autobiography of embarrassing explicitness ... There is a misogynistic strain in the play which the author does not seem to recognize. ... He has created a shameless piece of tabloid gossip, an act of exhibitionism which makes us all voyeurs ... a wretched piece of dramatic writing." That year, Miller produced ''
Incident at Vichy ''Incident at Vichy'' is a one-act play written in 1964 by American dramatist Arthur Miller. It depicts a group of men who have been detained in Vichy France in 1942; they are being held for their "racial" inspection by German military officer ...
''. In 1965, he was elected the first American president of
PEN International PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. The association has autonomous Internatio ...
, a position which he held for four years. A year later, he organized the 1966 PEN congress in New York City. He also wrote the penetrating family drama '' The Price'', produced in 1968. It was his most successful play since ''Death of a Salesman.'' In 1968, Miller attended the Democratic National Convention as a delegate for Eugene McCarthy. In 1969, Miller's works were banned in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
after he campaigned for the freedom of dissident writers. Throughout the 1970s, he spent much of his time experimenting with the theatre, producing one-act plays such as ''Fame'' and ''The Reason Why'', and traveling with his wife, producing ''In the Country'' and ''Chinese Encounters'' with her. Both his 1972 comedy ''
The Creation of the World and Other Business ''The Creation of the World and Other Business'' is a play by Arthur Miller first performed in 1972. Summary The play is a parable that explores the theme of good-versus-evil by way of a comedic retelling of events in the Book of Genesis in the B ...
'' and its musical adaptation, ''
Up from Paradise ''Up from Paradise'' is a musical with a novel and lyrics by Arthur Miller and music by Stanley Silverman. In 1972, Miller's comedy '' The Creation of the World and Other Business'' closed after only twenty performances. Undaunted by its failur ...
'', were critical and commercial failures. Miller was an unusually articulate commentator on his own work. In 1978 he published a collection of his ''Theater Essays'', edited by Robert A. Martin and with a foreword by Miller. Highlights of the collection included Miller's introduction to his ''Collected Plays'', his reflections on the theory of tragedy, comments on the McCarthy Era, and pieces arguing for a publicly supported theater. Reviewing this collection in the ''Chicago Tribune,'' Studs Terkel remarked, "In reading he ''Theater Essays''..you are exhilaratingly aware of a social critic, as well as a playwright, who knows what he's talking about." In 1983, Miller traveled to China to produce and direct ''Death of a Salesman'' at the People's Art Theatre in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
. It was a success in China and in 1984, ''Salesman in Beijing,'' a book about Miller's experiences in Beijing, was published. Around the same time, ''Death of a Salesman'' was made into a TV movie starring
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...
as Willy Loman. Shown on CBS, it attracted 25 million viewers. In late 1987, Miller's autobiographical work, ''Timebends'', was published. Before it was published, it was well known that Miller would not talk about Monroe in interviews; in ''Timebends,'' he wrote about his experiences with Monroe in detail. During the early-mid 1990s, Miller wrote three new plays: ''
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan ''The Ride Down Mt. Morgan'' is a play by Arthur Miller. Plot The play's central character is Lyman Felt, an insurance agent and bigamist who maintains families in New York City and Elmira in upstate New York. When he is hospitalized following ...
'' (1991), ''
The Last Yankee ''The Last Yankee'' is a play by Arthur Miller, which premiered on January 5, 1993 at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. The cast included Tom Aldredge as John Frick, Frances Conroy as Patricia Hamilton, Rose Gregorio as Karen Frick, J ...
'' (1992), and '' Broken Glass'' (1994). In 1996, a film of ''The Crucible'' starring
Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
,
Paul Scofield David Paul Scofield (21 January 1922 – 19 March 2008) was a British actor. During a six-decade career, Scofield achieved the US Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony for his work. He won the three awards in a seve ...
,
Bruce Davison Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and director. Davison is well known for his starring role as Willard Stiles in the cult horror film '' Willard'' (1971) and his Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning perfor ...
and
Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...
opened. Miller spent much of 1996 working on the screenplay. '' Mr. Peters' Connections'' was staged off-Broadway in 1998, and ''Death of a Salesman'' was revived on Broadway in 1999 to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Once again it was a large critical success, winning a Tony Award for best revival of a play. In 1993, Miller received the National Medal of Arts. He was honored with the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award for a Master American Dramatist in 1998. In 2001 the
National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
(NEH) selected him for the
Jefferson Lecture The Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities is an honorary lecture series established in 1972 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). According to the NEH, the Lecture is "the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished ...
, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
.Jefferson Lecturers
at NEH Website. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
His lecture, "On Politics and the Art of Acting", analyzed political events (including the U.S. presidential election of 2000) in terms of the "arts of performance". It drew attacks from some conservatives such as
Jay Nordlinger Jay Nordlinger (born November 21, 1963) is an American journalist. He is a senior editor of ''National Review'', and a book fellow of the National Review Institute. He is also a music critic for ''The New Criterion'' and ''The Conservative''. In ...
, who called it "a disgrace"; and
George Will George Frederick Will (born May 4, 1941) is an American libertarian-conservative political commentator and author. He writes regular columns for ''The Washington Post'' and provides commentary for NBC News and MSNBC. Gold, Hadas (May 8, 2017)." ...
, who argued that Miller was not a legitimate "scholar". In 1999, Miller received
The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize or Gish Prize is given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life." It is among the most prestigious and on ...
, one of the richest prizes in the arts, given annually to "a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind's enjoyment and understanding of life." In 2001, he received the
National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...
'
Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
On May 1, 2002, he received Spain's Principe de Asturias Prize for Literature as "the undisputed master of modern drama". Later that year, Ingeborg Morath died of
lymphatic cancer Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...
at the age of 78. The following year Miller won the Jerusalem Prize. In December 2004, 89-year-old Miller announced that he had been in love with 34-year-old minimalist painter Agnes Barley and had been living with her at his Connecticut farm since 2002, and that they intended to marry. Within hours of her father's death,
Rebecca Miller Rebecca Augusta Miller, Lady Day-Lewis (born September 15, 1962) is an American filmmaker and novelist. She is known for her films ''Angela'', '' Personal Velocity: Three Portraits'', '' The Ballad of Jack and Rose'', ''The Private Lives of Pipp ...
ordered Barley to vacate the premises because she had consistently been opposed to the relationship. Miller's final play, '' Finishing the Picture'', opened at the
Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the la ...
, Chicago, in the fall of 2004, with one character said to be based on Barley. It was reportedly based on his experience during the filming of ''The Misfits'', though Miller insisted the play was a work of fiction with independent characters that were no more than composite shadows of history.


Death

Miller died on the evening of February 10, 2005 (the 56th anniversary of the Broadway debut of ''Death of a Salesman'') at age 89 of
bladder cancer Bladder cancer is any of several types of cancer arising from the tissues of the urinary bladder. Symptoms include blood in the urine, pain with urination, and low back pain. It is caused when epithelial cells that line the bladder become ma ...
and heart failure, at his home in
Roxbury, Connecticut Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,260 at the 2020 census. The town is located northeast of New York City. History Roxbury, whose Native name was ''Shepaug'', a Mahican word signifying "roc ...
. He had been in hospice care at his sister's apartment in New York since his release from hospital the previous month. He was surrounded by Barley, family and friends. His body was interred at Roxbury Center Cemetery in Roxbury.


Legacy

Miller's writing career spanned over seven decades, and at the time of his death, he was considered one of the 20th century's greatest dramatists. After his death, many respected actors, directors, and producers paid tribute to him, some calling him the last great practitioner of the American stage, and Broadway theatres darkened their lights in a show of respect. Miller's alma mater, the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
, opened the Arthur Miller Theatre in March 2007. Per his express wish, it is the only theater in the world that bears his name. Mller's letters, notes, drafts and other papers are housed at the
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...
at the University of Texas at Austin. Miller is also a member of the
American Theater Hall of Fame The American Theater Hall of Fame in New York City was founded in 1972. Earl Blackwell was the first head of the organization's Executive Committee. In an announcement in 1972, he said that the new ''Theater Hall of Fame'' would be located in the ...
. He was inducted in 1979. In 1993, he received the Four Freedoms Award for Freedom of Speech. In 2017, his daughter, Rebecca Miller, a writer and filmmaker, completed a documentary about her father's life, '' Arthur Miller: Writer''. Minor planet 3769 Arthurmiller is named after him.


Foundation

The Arthur Miller Foundation was founded to honor the legacy of Miller and his New York City Public School education. Its mission is "Promoting increased access and equity to theater arts education in our schools and increasing the number of students receiving theater arts education as an integral part of their academic curriculum." Its other initiatives include certification of new theater teachers and their placement in public schools, increasing the number of theater teachers in the system from the current estimate of 180 teachers in 1800 schools, supporting professional development of all certified theater teachers, and providing teaching artists, cultural partners, physical spaces, and theater ticket allocations for students. The foundation's primary purpose is to provide arts education in the
New York City school system The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
. Its current chancellor is Carmen Farina, a prominent proponent of the
Common Core State Standards Initiative The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, is an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conc ...
. The Master Arts Council includes Alec Baldwin, Ellen Barkin,
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...
,
Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is ...
,
Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...
,
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...
,
Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...
, Michael Moore,
Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...
,
David O. Russell David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an American filmmaker. His early directing career includes the comedy films ''Spanking the Monkey'' (1994), '' Flirting with Disaster'' (1996), ''Three Kings'' (1999), and ''I Heart Huckabees'' (200 ...
, and
Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber (; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and narrator. He became known during the late 1990s and early 2000s after appearing in several independent films, and later mainstream Hollywo ...
. Miller's son-in-law,
Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
, has served on the current board of directors since 2016. The foundation celebrated Miller's 100th birthday with a one-night performance of his seminal works in November 2015. The Arthur Miller Foundation currently supports a pilot program in theater and film at the public school Quest to Learn, in partnership with the Institute of Play. The model is being used as an in-school elective theater class and lab. Its objective is to create a sustainable theater education model to disseminate to teachers at professional development workshops.


Archive

Miller donated thirteen boxes of his earliest manuscripts to the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...
at the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
in 1961 and 1962. This collection included the original handwritten notebooks and early typed drafts for ''Death of a Salesman'', ''The Crucible'', ''All My Sons'', and other works. In January, 2018, the Ransom Center announced the acquisition of the remainder of the Miller archive, totaling over 200 boxes. The full archive opened in November, 2019.


Literary and public criticism

Christopher Bigsby Christopher William Edgar Bigsby FRSA FRSL, (born 27 June 1941) is a British literary analyst and novelist, with more than sixty books to his credit. Earlier in his writing career, his books were published under the name C. W. E. Bigsby. He has ...
wrote ''Arthur Miller: The Definitive Biography'' based on boxes of papers Miller made available to him before his death in 2005. The book was published in November 2008, and is reported to reveal unpublished works in which Miller "bitterly attack dthe injustices of American racism long before it was taken up by the civil rights movement". In his book ''Trinity of Passion'', author Alan M. Wald conjectures that Miller was "a member of a writer's unit of the
Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
around 1946," using the pseudonym Matt Wayne, and editing a drama column in the magazine ''
The New Masses ''New Masses'' (1926–1948) was an American Marxist magazine closely associated with the Communist Party USA. It succeeded both ''The Masses'' (1912–1917) and ''The Liberator''. ''New Masses'' was later merged into '' Masses & Mainstream'' (19 ...
''. In 1999 the writer
Christopher Hitchens Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British-American author and journalist who wrote or edited over 30 books (including five essay collections) on culture, politics, and literature. Born and educated in England, ...
attacked Miller for comparing the Monica Lewinsky investigation to the Salem witch hunt. Miller had asserted a parallel between the examination of physical evidence on Lewinsky's dress and the examinations of women's bodies for signs of the "Devil's Marks" in Salem. Hitchens scathingly disputed the parallel. In his memoir, '' Hitch-22'', Hitchens bitterly noted that Miller, despite his prominence as a left-wing intellectual, had failed to support author
Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...
during the Iranian fatwa involving ''
The Satanic Verses ''The Satanic Verses'' is the fourth novel of British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism ...
''.


Works


Stage plays

* '' No Villain'' (1936) * '' They Too Arise'' (1937, based on ''No Villain'') * '' Honors at Dawn'' (1938, based on ''They Too Arise'') * ''The Grass Still Grows'' (1938, based on ''They Too Arise'') * ''The Great Disobedience'' (1938) * ''Listen My Children'' (1939, with Norman Rosten) * ''The Golden Years'' (1940) * ''The Half-Bridge'' (1943) * ''
The Man Who Had All the Luck ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' is a play by Arthur Miller, his second major play (after '' No Villain''). ''The Man Who Had All the Luck'' follows protagonist David Beeves’ existential exploration into the enigmatic question of how fate and t ...
'' (1944) * '' All My Sons'' (1947) * ''
Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...
'' (1949) * ''An Enemy of the People'' (1950, based on Henrik Ibsen's play '' An Enemy of the People'') * ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...
'' (1953) * '' A View from the Bridge'' (1955) * ''
A Memory of Two Mondays ''A Memory of Two Mondays'' is a one-act play by Arthur Miller. He began writing the play in 1952, while working on '' The Crucible'', and completed it in 1955. Based on Miller's own experiences, the play focuses on a group of desperate workers ...
'' (1955) * '' After the Fall'' (1964) * ''
Incident at Vichy ''Incident at Vichy'' is a one-act play written in 1964 by American dramatist Arthur Miller. It depicts a group of men who have been detained in Vichy France in 1942; they are being held for their "racial" inspection by German military officer ...
'' (1964) * '' The Price'' (1968) * ''The Reason Why'' (1970) * ''Fame'' (one-act, 1970; revised for television 1978) * ''
The Creation of the World and Other Business ''The Creation of the World and Other Business'' is a play by Arthur Miller first performed in 1972. Summary The play is a parable that explores the theme of good-versus-evil by way of a comedic retelling of events in the Book of Genesis in the B ...
'' (1972) * ''
Up from Paradise ''Up from Paradise'' is a musical with a novel and lyrics by Arthur Miller and music by Stanley Silverman. In 1972, Miller's comedy '' The Creation of the World and Other Business'' closed after only twenty performances. Undaunted by its failur ...
'' (1974) * '' The Archbishop's Ceiling'' (1977) * '' The American Clock'' (1980) * '' Playing for Time'' (television play, 1980) * '' Elegy for a Lady'' (short play, 1982, first part of ''Two Way Mirror'') * ''
Some Kind of Love Story ''Some Kind of Love Story'' is a one-act play by Arthur Miller. It was first presented in 1982 by the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, where it was combined with '' Elegy for a Lady'' under the title ''2 by A.M.''; the combination o ...
'' (short play, 1982, second part of ''Two Way Mirror'') * ''I Think About You a Great Deal'' (1986) * ''Playing for Time'' (stage version, 1985) * ''I Can't Remember Anything'' (1987, collected in ''Danger: Memory!'') * ''Clara'' (1987, collected in ''Danger: Memory!'') * ''
The Ride Down Mt. Morgan ''The Ride Down Mt. Morgan'' is a play by Arthur Miller. Plot The play's central character is Lyman Felt, an insurance agent and bigamist who maintains families in New York City and Elmira in upstate New York. When he is hospitalized following ...
'' (1991) * ''
The Last Yankee ''The Last Yankee'' is a play by Arthur Miller, which premiered on January 5, 1993 at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City. The cast included Tom Aldredge as John Frick, Frances Conroy as Patricia Hamilton, Rose Gregorio as Karen Frick, J ...
'' (1993) * '' Broken Glass'' (1994) * '' Mr. Peters' Connections'' (1998) * '' Resurrection Blues'' (2002) * '' Finishing the Picture'' (2004)


Radio plays

* ''The Pussycat and the Expert Plumber Who Was a Man'' (1941) * ''Joel Chandler Harris'' (1941) * ''The Battle of the Ovens'' (1942) * ''Thunder from the Mountains'' (1942) * ''I Was Married in Bataan'' (1942) * ''That They May Win'' (1943) * ''Listen for the Sound of Wings'' (1943) * ''Bernardine'' (1944) * ''I Love You'' (1944) * ''Grandpa and the Statue'' (1944) * ''The Philippines Never Surrendered'' (1944) * ''
The Guardsman ''The Guardsman'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film based on the play '' Testőr'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young and ZaSu Pitts. It opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of Maxwell Anderson's ' ...
'' (1944, based on
Ferenc Molnár Ferenc Molnár ( , ; born Ferenc Neumann; 12 January 18781 April 1952), often anglicized as Franz Molnar, was a Hungarian-born author, stage-director, dramatist, and poet, widely regarded as Hungary’s most celebrated and controversial play ...
's play) * ''The Story of Gus'' (1947)


Screenplays

* ''
The Hook The Hook, or The Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car. In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a rai ...
'' (1947) * '' All My Sons'' (1948) * ''
Let's Make Love ''Let's Make Love'' is a 1960 American musical comedy film made by 20th Century Fox in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. Directed by George Cukor and produced by Jerry Wald from a screenplay by Norman Krasna, Hal Kanter, and Arthur Miller, the film ...
'' (1960) * '' The Misfits'' (1961) * ''
Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a montage ...
'' (1985) * '' Everybody Wins'' (1990) * ''
The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...
'' (1996)


Assorted fiction

* ''
Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...
'' (novel, 1945) * "The Misfits" (short story, published in '' Esquire'', October 1957) * ''I Don't Need You Anymore'' (short stories, 1967) * '' Homely Girl: A Life'' (short story, 1992, published in UK as "Plain Girl: A Life" 1995) * "The Performance" (short story) * ''Presence: Stories'' (2007) (short stories include ''The Bare Manuscript'', ''Beavers'', ''The Performance'', and ''Bulldog'')


Non-fiction

* ''Situation Normal'' (1944) is based on his experiences researching the war correspondence of
Ernie Pyle Ernest Taylor Pyle (August 3, 1900 – April 18, 1945) was a Pulitzer Prize–winning American journalist and war correspondent who is best known for his stories about ordinary American soldiers during World War II. Pyle is also notable for the ...
. * ''In Russia'' (1969), the first of three books created with his photographer wife Inge Morath, offers Miller's impressions of Russia and Russian society. * ''In the Country'' (1977), with photographs by Morath and text by Miller, provides insight into how Miller spent his time in Roxbury, Connecticut, and profiles of his various neighbors. * ''Chinese Encounters'' (1979) is a travel journal with photographs by Morath. It depicts the Chinese society in the state of flux which followed the end of the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
. Miller discusses the hardships of many writers, professors, and artists as they try to regain the sense of freedom and place they lost during
Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
's regime. * ''Salesman in Beijing'' (1984) details Miller's experiences with the 1983 Beijing People's Theatre production of ''Death of a Salesman''. He describes the idiosyncrasies, understandings, and insights encountered in directing a Chinese cast in a decidedly American play. * ''Timebends: A Life'', Methuen London (1987) . Like ''Death of a Salesman'', the book follows the structure of memory itself, each passage linked to and triggered by the one before. "On Politics and the Art of Acting", Viking 2001 an 85-page essay debating the thespian skills, or lack of, in American politics, this soon after the Bush/ Gore election campaign; comparing FDR, JFK, Reagon, Clinton.


Collections

* Abbotson, Susan C. W. (ed.), ''Arthur Miller: Collected Essays'', Penguin 2016 * Centola, Steven R. ed. ''Echoes Down the Corridor: Arthur Miller, Collected Essays 1944–2000'', Viking Penguin (US)/Methuen (UK), 2000 * Kushner, Tony, ed. ''Arthur Miller, Collected Plays 1944–1961'' (
Library of America The Library of America (LOA) is a nonprofit publisher of classic American literature. Founded in 1979 with seed money from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Ford Foundation, the LOA has published over 300 volumes by authors rang ...
, 2006) . * Martin, Robert A. (ed.), "The theater essays of Arthur Miller", foreword by Arthur Miller. NY: Viking Press, 1978


References


Bibliography

* Bigsby, Christopher (ed.), ''The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller'', Cambridge 1997 * Gottfried, Martin, ''Arthur Miller, A Life'', Da Capo Press (US)/Faber and Faber (UK), 2003 * Koorey, Stefani, ''Arthur Miller's Life and Literature'', Scarecrow, 2000 * Moss, Leonard. ''Arthur Miller'', Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1980.


Further reading

* ''Critical Companion to Arthur Miller'', Susan C. W. Abbotson, Greenwood (2007) * ''Student Companion to Arthur Miller'', Susan C. W. Abbotson, Facts on File (2000) * ''File on Miller'', Christopher Bigsby (1988) * ''Arthur Miller & Company'', Christopher Bigsby, editor (1990) * ''Arthur Miller: A Critical Study'', Christopher Bigsby (2005) * ''Remembering Arthur Miller'', Christopher Bigsby, editor (2005) * ''Arthur Miller 1915–1962'', Christopher Bigsby (2008, U.K.; 2009, U.S.) * ''The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller (Cambridge Companions to Literature)'', Christopher Bigsby, editor (1998, updated and republished 2010) * ''Arthur Miller 1962–2005'', Christopher Bigsby (2011) * * ''Arthur Miller: Critical Insights'', Brenda Murphy, editor, Salem (2011) * ''Understanding Death of a Salesman'', Brenda Murphy and Susan C. W. Abbotson, Greenwood (1999) * Critical articles * ''Arthur Miller Journal'', published biannually by Penn State UP. Vol. 1.1 (2006) * Radavich, David. "Arthur Miller's Sojourn in the Heartland". ''American Drama'' 16:2 (Summer 2007): 28–45.


External links

Organizations
Arthur Miller official website

Arthur Miller Society

The Arthur Miller Foundation
Archive
Arthur Miller Papers
at the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...

"Playwright Arthur Miller's archive comes to the Harry Ransom Center"

Finding aid to Arthur Miller papers at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Databases * * * Websites * * *
A Visit With Castro
– Miller's article in ''The Nation'', January 12, 2004 *
Joyce Carol Oates on Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller BiographyArthur Miller and Mccarthyism
Interviews * *

''Humanities'', March–April 2001 Obituaries


NPR obituary

CNN obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Arthur 1915 births 2005 deaths University of Michigan alumni Kennedy Center honorees Laurence Olivier Award winners Primetime Emmy Award winners Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Recipients of the Praemium Imperiale Tony Award winners 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American screenwriters 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century essayists 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American screenwriters 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century essayists Abraham Lincoln High School (Brooklyn) alumni American agnostics American anti-capitalists American autobiographers 20th-century American Jews American male dramatists and playwrights American male essayists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male screenwriters American male short story writers American memoirists American people of Polish-Jewish descent American radio writers Analysands of Rudolph Lowenstein Cultural critics Deaths from bladder cancer Deaths from cancer in Connecticut Free speech activists Hopwood Award winners Jerusalem Prize recipients Jewish agnostics Jewish American dramatists and playwrights Jewish novelists Marilyn Monroe The Michigan Daily alumni PEN International People from Brooklyn Heights People from Gravesend, Brooklyn People from Midwood, Brooklyn People from Roxbury, Connecticut Postmodern writers Recipients of the Four Freedoms Award American social commentators Social critics Special Tony Award recipients Writers about activism and social change Writers about communism Writers from Brooklyn Writers from Connecticut 21st-century American Jews