ARTHUR MILLER

Arthur Miller is an American playwright, born in New-York in 1915 to an immigrant family of Polish and Jewish descent. He was very close to his mother, who was an avid reader of novels. During the Wall Street Crash his family lost almost everything and he had to save money to be able to attend the University of Michigan. He wrote his first novel “The villain” while in college, in 1936 and won the school's Avery Hopwood Award, but his first success was “Death of a Salesman”. This book was written in 1949 which is about the American dream, abandonment and betrayal and thanks to it he won the Pulitzer Prize.

In 1953, he wrote “The Crucible”. This play is a dramatization of the witch trials of 1692 and was used as an allegory of McCarthyism also known as the red Scare, which was a terrible period in the USA. People were accused with no reason of being communists, just as people were accused of being witches during the 20th century. Because of that, they did lose their jobs, when they were not sent to prison.

"The Crucible is taken from history.

No character is in the play who did not take a similar role in Salem, 1692."

Because of this play, the house of Un-American Activities Committee refused to renew his passport and called him in to appear before the committee. But even if he was threatened he always refused to give any information.

“He refused to be an informer.

He refused to turn his private conscience over to administration by the state.

He has accordingly been found in contempt of Congress.

That is the measure of the man who has written these high-minded plays."

–Brooks Atkinson about Miller.

Arthur Miller died of a heart failure at the age of 89, in 2005, after battling cancer and pneumonia. He is still considered as one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century.