Arthur Miller: The life behind ‘Death of a Salesman’
John Lahr’s biography of Arthur Miller begins with a fascinating chapter on the creation and electric debut in 1949 of the playwright’s masterpiece, “Death of a Salesman.” Lahr calls the play’s impact on American theater “seismic.” But at the first performance, when he lowered the curtain, the audience sat in stunned silence, “like a funeral,” …