Arthur Miller was one of the major American dramatists of the twentieth century, clearly ranking with other truly great American playwrights, including Eugene ONeill, Tennessee Williams, and Edward Albee. The centennial of Millers birth in New York City on October 17, 1915 was celebrated around the world with a panoply of staged productions, theatrical events, media documentaries, and academic conferences. Miller earned his reputation during a career of more than seventy years, in which he achieved critical success in the 1940s and 1950s with the dramas All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible and A View from the Bridge. He was also notable for his refusal to name names at his appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee, his marriage to the film actress Marilyn Monroe, and his spell as president of the literary organization, International P.E.N. Arthur Miller was not only a literary giant, but also one of the more significant political, cultural, and social figures of his time. He was a man of conviction and integrity who frequently took stands, popular and unpopular, on the ethical issues that engaged societies throughout the world. This collection includes eclectic essays from Miller scholars who provide detailed discussions of text and performance, of Miller as a political and cultural figure, and of his connection to other playwrights. The contributions explore the trajectory of Millers career, his most famous and frequently produced works, such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, the dramas of his later career, and his fiction. The collection appeals to a broad American and international audience and a cross-section of readers, including undergraduates, graduates, emerging scholars, drama and theatre specialists, as well as theatre-goers who flock to revivals of Millers plays.

About the Author

Stephen Marino teaches at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and is the founding editor of The Arthur Miller Journal and former president of the Arthur Miller Society. His work on Arthur Miller has appeared in many journals and essay collections. He is the editor of The Salesman Has a Birthday: Essays Celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman and the author of A Language Study of Arthur Millers Plays, The Poetic in the Colloquial. He is the editor of the Methuen critical student edition of A View from the Bridge. His interviews with the celebrated actress Joan Copeland, Arthur Millers sister; Millers biographer, Christopher Bigsby; and the playwright, David Henry Hwang have appeared in the Arthur Miller Journal. His most recent book, Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman / The Crucible A Readers Guide to Essential Criticism, was published in 2015. He chaired the Arthur Miller Centennial Conference at St. Francis College in Brooklyn in October 2015.