Playwright Arthur Miller Dies at 89

[merwin]

Playwright Arthur Miller Dies at 89

1 minute ago Top Stories - AP

ROXBURY, Conn. - Arthur Miller, the Pulitzer prize-winning playwright whose most famous fictional creation, Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman," came to symbolize the American Dream gone awry, has died, his assistant said Friday. He was 89.

Miller died Thursday evening, said his assistant, Julia Bolus. She did not give a cause of death.

His plays, with their strong emphasis on family, morality and personal responsibility, spoke to the growing fragmentation of American society.

"A lot of my work goes to the center of where we belong — if there is any root to life — because nowadays the family is broken up, and people don't live in the same place for very long," Miller said in a 1988 interview.

"Dislocation, maybe, is part of our uneasiness. It implants the feeling that nothing is really permanent."
...

[joeybee12]

1. Oh no! He was such a talented man! Truly a great American

Rest in peace, Arthur.

[tanyev]

2. Was he Deep Throat?????

[merwin]

3. Deep salesman. RIP Mr Miller

[Turley]

5. *chuckle* nt

.

[calico1]

14. I was thinking the same thing....

Seriously though, a talented writer. RIP

[American Tragedy]

4. Rest in peace!

You know, Arthur Miller said that when he observed George Bush for the first time, he was reminded of a bad actor who just barely knew his lines.

[AP]

6. That's a sad loss.

[Skittles]

7. he was married to Marilyn Monroe

poor thang said he tried to "solve her problems".

[underpants]

13. Yeah that must have been tough

Hard work

[MarianJack]

32. "After The Fall"...

...was, IMHO, his greatest play and it dealt with that time of his life!

[Blue_Tires]

8. today's economy makes us ALL Willy Loman

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Death of a Salesman is classic tragedy

Miller showed that form still works in the modern world, where the common man takes the place of Kings and mighty warriors.

[zann725]

29. "American Clock" was amazing too. Though his later plays were eclipsed by

his earlier successes such as "Death of a Salesman" and "Crucible."

[momisold]

10. The Alley Theatre in Houston

is doing two of his plays right now. Actually, one just closed: After the Fall. So Good. Semi-autobiographical of his relationship with Marilyn Monroe. And The Crucible begins the 25th.

Truly an American Great.

[fishwax]

11. Aw damn. Attention must be paid.

Well, he lived a long life and it isn't entirely unexpected.

I love Death of a Salesman, which doesn't get the credit it deserves. It was widely hailed and is still widely loved, but is also attacked quite often b/c Willy is seen as unsympathetic. I still think it's one of the greatest pieces of American Literature of the last century.

[HuckleB]

12. A brave American, who fought the good fight.

Bless him. And may he be given the opportunity (in whatever real or imagined afterlife there may be) to offer his wisdom to Senator McCarthy.

[janx]

15. ...

:cry:

[davidinalameda]

16. hope they dim the lights on Broadway

American culture has lost one of its most influential contributors in the last century

[JerseygirlCT]

22. He was a giant.

[noonwitch]

17. Sad, but he did have a good, long life

My favorite of his works is "The Crucible".

[daleo]

18. They seem to be giving his work a right wing spin

"His plays, with their strong emphasis on family, morality and personal responsibility, spoke to the growing fragmentation of American society."

Death of a Salesman and The Crucible have much more direct political and social themes, in my opinion. The latter parts of the article are better, but lots of people never get past the first few paragraphs (here or in the actual newspaper article).

[Bo]

19. Good Bye Arthur...

.....and thank you for wonderful books.

[DrZeeLit]

20. His writing changed my life.

I remember clearly the first time I read Death of a Salesman. I wanted to stop strangers on the street and talk about it. What an impact! Words crafted to strike the heart... challenge... uplift. What a great voice.

How sad his bodily death. How magnificent the words he has left behind -- his voice will never be silenced.

Thanks to him, I work each day with words. I watch young writers emerge. What a gift he gave me!

Maybe we should read once more The Crucible. An echo of what is happening now.

Thanks, Mr. Miller.

[HuckleB]

21. Profile on Miller from two years ago in The Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1005889,00.html

[CBHagman]

23. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord

And let perpetual light shine upon him.

[Toucano]

24. A truly great mind

Rest in peace, Arthur Miller.

[Withywindle]

25. A huge loss...

Though at 89 it's not a huge shock, still a giant leaving us makes an earthquake.

[Ivan Sputnik]

26. A wonderful writer

I still vividly remember reading (aloud) The Crucible, his play about the Salem witch trials (but actually about the McCarthy era), in seventh grade. I read the part of John Proctor, and it really had a big impact on me. "Death of a Salesman" could well be the great American play. He will be missed.

(And I think it WAS hard work being married to Marilyn Monroe.)

[antigone382]

27. R.I.P. Mr. Miller.

If I ever have the opportunity to perform in one of your plays, it will be among the highest honors imaginable to me.

[Rose Siding]

28. Photo of Miller and Newman at Democratic convention in Chicago in '68

[benny05]

30. Death of a Playwright

Death of a Salesman is still my favorite play. I saw my father in the lead role, constantly in my imagination. I'm fortunate that I went beyond my mother and the boys to do all right with my life, but it was a sad story, and one that caused me pause to lift others up and myself.

Now AM joins his former wife, Marilyn, in whateverland.

Peace to AM.

[kerstin]

31. kick