Arthur Miller: 1915 - 1962

by Christopher Bigsby

This is the long-awaited biography of one of the twentieth century's greatest playwrights whose postwar decade of work earned him international critical and popular acclaim. Arthur Miller was a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over sixty years, writing a wide variety of plays - including The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman - which are still performed, studied and lauded throughout the world. Born in 1915 to moderately affluent Jewish-American parents, Miller wrote during a fascinating time in American history. The Great Depression was a period of deprivation for many that left an indelible mark on the national psyche, and, like many, Miller found hope for the beleaguered common man in Communism. The Second World War elevated the common man to war hero, but when the Cold War subsequently began, the ugly elements of American conservatism freely persecuted writers and artists who had embraced Communism. Miller was among them. Hi

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Drama

776 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Alistair · Rating 1 out of 5]

what i learned from this book is that arthur miller was a seriously dull man which in a biography boasting over 700 pages , only some of which i read , makes for a seriously dull book . i homed in on the bits when he was married to marilyn monroe and even that was dull .
there is a lot of coverage of his worthy left wing activities and the Mcarthy era and his jewish family background which he mined for his plays , but it all seems lifeless and plodding . Bear in mind that this only covers part of his life and that there is more to come .

For academics only .

[Susana]

This one took me a while but in the end it was worth reading.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tedious and detailed. If you want to know everything; read it and the next volume

[T.P. Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Impenetrable writing. Gave up after 160+ pages. Slow pace. Oddly timed and written digressions into tangents - Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939 and attempt of American Communists to try to soften by showing Soviets against anti-semitism, but contradicted by Trotsky accusing Soviets of anti-semitism, but Rabbi Stephen Wise not sure about that and discussed with Professor Sidney Hook of NYU, and that they had this committee and . . . . Since author had cooperation of Miller, don't expect anything especially shocking or new. Having read - and been frustrated - by "Timebends," Miller's memoir, I wanted more detail on the relationship between Miller and first wife Mary Slattery, barely mentioned in Miller's book. Well, nothing to see here, folks. Equally frustrating in its lack of detail (not sure if Mary still alive at time of writing, so maybe some defamation concerns). What I read confirms view of Miller as cold, distant writer.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good god, this is a big book. I'm not usually one to shy away from a weighty tome but if you're going to write a book that's 740 pages long, you'd better make sure it's riveting, and this wasn't. Arthur Miller was a highly accomplished playwright and an outstanding craftsman of the English language, but this book takes so long to wade through a comparatively short period in his life that I found myself losing interest. Basically, he grew up rich, his family lost their money, he went to college, got married, wrote lots of very good plays, appeared before the House of Un-American Activities, got divorced, married Marilyn Monroe, divorced her, got married again, and died. The book tells the same tales over and over again. The first time I read about Miller's anguish at being pushed to name people he suspected were Communists, I thought it was a fascinating story. The tenth time the author told me about it, it was less riveting. I think I will go and see some Arthur Miller plays instead.

[Yannis Charalabidis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, this is a HUGE book on Arthur Miller, including, apart from a view over his main life events, a rather complete analysis of most of each screenplays.

Might raise some controversies if you know a lot about A.Miller, but even that is within the game, for the connoisseur.

I didn't want to start it when I saw the volume of it, I didn't want to finish after I got the gist of it.

For serious readers and screenplay lovers.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Biography of the leading modern playwright. Growing up in Harlem in the Depression.
2. The 1947 play All My Sons achieves major success. Bigsby's biography of the playwright.
3. Success sparks fame, money and a meeting with Marilyn Monroe. Bigsby's biography of the playwright.
4.
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[Christian Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic (and pretty leftist) examination of Miller's early life and it's effects on his plays through After the Fall.

We spend a ton of time on his family, friends, and political environment surrounding his life while ending abruptly after his divorce with Marily Monroe and meeting with Inge.

I would without a doubt read a continuation into his later life by this author.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Biography of the leading modern playwright. Growing up in Harlem in the Depression. Read by Henry Goodman.

[Steve Shilstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detailed and fascinating bio, concentrating on the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.