Death of a Playwright

Arthur Miller, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and what many critics consider to be one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century, has passed away. He was 89 years old.

Miller's plays were forceful, unyielding charges into the most challenging political and moral terrain of American life. To his last days, he believed in the real world responsibility of theater, and in the demand he placed on the dramatic arts to be fearlessly relevant to their times.

Miller's most famous play, 1949's "Death of a Salesman," struck a chord by probing the dark side of chasing the American Dream. It took the then-33-year-old playwright only six weeks to pen the Pulitzer Prize-winning script.

Hear about the powerful work, art, and extraordinary life of American playwright Arthur Miller.

Guests:

Sue Abbotson, author of "Understanding Death of a Salesman," professor of drama, Rhode Island College, former president of the Arthur Miller Society;

Harold Bloom, Professor of Humanities and English at Yale University, editor of several books on Arthur Miller's plays;

Marsha Norman, co-director of the playwrights program at the Julliard School;

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst.