Genre: Book
Grade: A-
Notable People: Arthur Miller
Title: Presence
Review: Perhaps the foremost playwright of the 20th century, I have now discovered that Miller was also an accomplished and highly-regarded fiction writer. Found this book in my cousins’ stack of giveaways from her 35 years as an antique dealer. Beautifully conceived and wonderfully written –if a bit dated- Presence is a 2004 posthumous gathering of Miller’s last published fiction, a group of stories that appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, and elsewhere. My favorite was “The Performance,” in which a Jewish tap dancer unintentionally enthralls Hitler. A nice surprise from one of Americas most original voices.