Arthur Miller

[Mme. Hermine]

Arthur Miller has died at age 89:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/02/1...r.ap/index.html

[dirac]

Thank you, Mme. Hermine. I am sorry to hear this. There is a short story by Miller in the current edition of Harper's. Here is The New York Times obituary, by Marilyn Berger.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/theater/...print&position=

A couple of minor points I noted offhand. Ms. Berger states that the distinguished theatre critic Eric Bentley “dismissed” “The Crucible.” Bentley did no such thing. He didn’t much care for the play, for reasons clearly stated and defended, but it was no “dismissal.” (And the argument that Miller’s fame consistently outstripped his achievement, whether or not one agrees with it, is also not to be dismissed.) Second, Ms. Berger states that Miller wrote the screenplay of “The Misfits” as a “gift for his wife,” Marilyn Monroe. Other sources indicate that Monroe didn’t quite see it that way. Miller’s chief theatrical rival, Tennessee Williams, is not mentioned, even in passing, which struck me as an odd omission.

In a sense, Miller was the last of his kind in America. We may not see a playwright's career like his (or Williams') in this country again. Miller saw in his lifetime the decline of the serious American theatre in prosperity and status, and the decline of his chosen profession as a career goal for young writers. This was obviously a matter of deep concern for him.

[Daniil]

I'm very sorry to hear that. I've read his play "A Death of a Salesman" just some months ago.

Rest In Peace

Edited February 11, 2005 by Daniil

[dirac]

From The New Republic, a February, 1949 review by the director and critic Harold Clurman of the original production of "Death of a Salesman":

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi%3Dclassic...3Dclurman022849

[dirac]

A report from The New York Times on the memorial service for Miller held yesterday:

Friends, family and a distinguished roster of American playwrights - Edward Albee, Tony Kushner and John Guare, among others - gathered in the Majestic Theater yesterday to honor Arthur Miller, who died in February at 89.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/10/arts/10m...html?oref=login