Arthur Miller

An item at American Writers Museum

Arthur Miller began writing plays at the University of Michigan and, after graduation, moved back to his hometown of New York City to pursue his calling. He found success on Broadway with All My Sons (1947) and Death of a Salesman (1949). Both plays won Tony Awards, while Salesman earned a Pulitzer-firmly establishing Miller as one of the major playwrights of the 20th century.

Miller ultimately wrote more than 30 plays, all finely crafted meditations on morality and justice. Death of a Salesman exposes the human toll exacted by capitalism. The Crucible (1953) is a call to resist censorship. "The job is to ask questions," he said. "And to ask them as inexorably as I can."

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum