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November 20, 2007
Arthur Miller, '38, HLHD'56
Presence: Stories, Viking, 2007.
The book: This posthumous collection of Arthur Miller's last published fiction is a group of stories that appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's and elsewhere. "Bulldog" describes a young teenager's surprising first sexual experience, while "Presence" relates a man's encounter with a woman he has just seen making love on a beach. "Beavers" tells a haunting tale of nature, creation and destruction. In "The Performance," a Jewish tap dancer enthralls Hitler. "The Bare Manuscript" reveals a writer's unusual methods to revive his muse, and, finally, "The Turpentine Still" presents a portrait of a man examining his legacy. This is a gift that all fans of Miller's work and readers of contemporary fiction will welcome.
The author: For more than a half century, playwright Arthur Miller's work defined the existential and moral questions at the heart of a post-World War II American society. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner and recipient of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the nation's most distinguished recognition for the arts, The Kennedy Center Honors. His plays included "Death of a Salesman," "The Crucible" and "A View From the Bridge." He also authored an autobiography, "Timebends," as well as works of fiction.
Posted by tobiaslw at November 20, 2007 02:15 PM