RIP, Arthur Miller

One of America’s most important 20th century playwrights shuffled off his mortal coil yesterday. Arthur Miller died of heart failure at the age of 89. His most famous works include the Death of A Salesman, A View From the Bridge, All My Sons and The Crucible. He was an excellent playwright, and stands with the likes of John Steinbeck as a “psychic journalist” (his term) of America. Here’s a quote Death of A Salesman:

I don’t say he’s a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He’s not the finest character that ever lived. But he’s a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He’s not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person.

I think he was comfortable with his own mortality, as he once said “all we are is a lot of talking nitrogen.” I did a lighting design for one of Miller’s plays at the Langham Court Theatre a while back–there’s a photo from the set here.