have kept the playwright in the news.
Like all great playwrights, his life
has been filled with disappointments as
well as extraordinary accomplishments.
Born in New York City in 1915,
Miller's early childhood was spent in
affluence. His father, Isidore, a Polish
Jew who immigrated to the United
States, became a prosperous coat man-
ufacturer. The family, including his
mother, Augusta Barnett, and two sib-
lings, a sister, Joan, and a brother,
Kermit, lived in a spacious apartment
in Harlem and had a chauffeur.
But all that ended in 1929 when the
stock market crashed and Isidore was
forced out of work. The family's
lifestyle took a downward turn, and
they moved to a small home in
Brooklyn.
Although he did not grow up reli-
gious, Judaism, and its secular values,
played an important role in Miller's life.
"In that post-World War I genera-
tion, Jews were trying to assimilate,
and many were not very religious," says
University of Michigan Professor
Enoch Bracer, who teaches English an,d
theater and last semester offered a class
devoted to Miller's work. "Being
Jewish in New York was no big deal,"
Brater explains. "It was a part of the
atmosphere. But Miller clearly identi-
fies himself as being Jewish."
Miller attended Lincoln High
School, where he was not a serious stu-
dent. Following graduation, he worked
at an auto parts warehouse in New York
to save money for college. On the job,
he encountered anti-Semitism from
some of his co-workers, making him
aware of religious and ethnic prejudices.
When it came time to choose a col-
lege, Miller was determined to attend
the University of Michigan. The main
draw was the prestigious Avery
Hopwood Award for playwrighting,
which was first given out in the spring
of 1931.
Miller was rejected a couple of times
before being admitted to U-M.
"Seemingly condemned by his low
grades in high school — he had
flunked algebra three times — to a life
incommensurate with his dream of
worldly success and the talent he felt
burgeoning inside him, he was rescued
by an indulgent dean at the University
of Michigan who rook a chance on this
manual laborer from Brooklyn and,
reversing two previous decisions from
the admissions office, offered him a
position in the freshman class of
1934," writes Laurence Goldstein in a
special issue of the Michigan Quarterly
Review devoted to the playwright.
Goldstein is a U-M professor of

I

n late January, The Jewish
News caught up with Arthur
Miller at his home in
Roxbury, Conn., just after
Death of a Salesman began previews
at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre in
New York City. The play opens
Feb. 10, 1999, 50 years to the day
it first opened on Broadway.
Miller had just returned from a
vacation abroad, and was working
in his studio. Because of his hectic
schedule in preparation for open-
ing night, the legendary playwright
is not granting many
interviews. In fact, his
New York publicist,
Richard Kornberg,
says Miller has turned
down requests from
most major newspa-
pers and magazines.
Still, he was more
than willing to speak
briefly with The
Jewish. News. Here,
in a phone interview,
is what Miller had
to say:

JN: What does it
mean to you to have
Death of a Salesman
back on Broadway?
AM: It's wonder-
ful. It is a good pro-
duction and well
received by the audi-
ence. I am very
pleased with it. Brian
Dennehy is very good
as Willy Loman. The
whole production is
quite original.

Miller refers, 'Making Willy
Loman," makes mention of Miller's
uncle Manny Newman, a salesman
who committed suicide. Says Miller:
"He was the ultimate climber up the
ladder who was constantly being
stepped on by those climbing past
him. My empathy for him was
immense. I mean, how could he pos-
sibly have succeeded?"

JN: Was Willy Loman Jewish?
AM: Yes, he was.

JN: Was Willy Loman based on
anyone you knew?
AM: He was based on a whole
life. It's like a report. It comes out of
a lifetime of playwriting. I wrote
nine plays before I wrote Death of a
Salesman. Read the New Yorker mag-
azine article of Jan. 25 — it will tell
the whole story.
Editor's Note: The article to which

JN: What are some of your
fondest memories of Ann Arbor?
AM: It was a warm, welcoming
place for me. It had helped me find
myself as a writer. I had very good
experiences with the faculty, for the
most part, and I came away with a
great affection for the school.

JN: What does it
mean to you to have a
theater named for you in
Ann Arbor?
AM: It's a great honor
and I am very pleased. I
hope it turns out to be a
good workplace for the-
ater artists. I feel very
grateful for it.

Arthur Miller in his studio in Roxbury, Conn.

JN: How is it different from
the other productions? -
AM: It is a whole new approach
— you have to see it. It's all done
on turntables instead of a house
set. So it's all done in segments,
pieces of sets, and so on. It's con-
stantly revolving — there are four
or five turntables on stage.

at any other place that I knew of.
The other reason was that the
tuition was very low, and I could
afford that. But it is true, there were
schools that didn't want Jews.

JN: Has your relationship with
Judaism changed over the years?
AWL No. I don't have any con-
nection with any organized religion.
I never had and I don't now. But I
do identify myself as a Jew, just not
as a religious Jew.

JN: In the 1930s, some elite
Eastern colleges admitted very few
Jews. Is that one of the reasons you
chose to attend the University of
Michigan, because it was open to
Jews?
AM: Being Jewish had nothing to
do with why I chose to come to
Michigan. I came to the University
of Michigan because of the
Hopwood Awards. The awards
meant they took writing seriously,
which was not the case at that time

JN: Other places have
asked you to lend your
name to a theater, but this
is the first time you've
agreed to it?
AM: Yes. I have a special
feeling for Arm Arbor, so I let them
do it It is a great honor for me.

JN: We tracked down the Doll
family, whom you lived with in
Ann Arbor. Jim passed away in the
1960s, but we found Lou, his
brother, living in Bay City.
AM: Oh, is that so! I didn't real-
ize there were any of them left.
What does Lou do? He's probably
retired now.

JN: Lou said he remembered
you well, that you were a serious
student and very gentlemanly. He
said the family was very fond of
you.
AM: I'm surprised. I didn't think
they noticed me.

— Alice Burdick Schweiger

2/5
1999

Detroit Jewish News

89