author
James Miller
1706–1744
An English clergyman who also wrote for the stage, he built a lively second career as a playwright, poet, and librettist. His work mixed satire, comedy, and adaptation, giving him a distinctive place in 18th-century literary life.
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About the author
Born in Dorset in 1706, James Miller was the son of a clergyman and went on to study at Wadham College, Oxford. He entered holy orders, but writing became an important part of his life and income, and he developed a reputation as a minister who was also deeply involved in the theatre.
Miller wrote plays, poems, and librettos, and he was especially known for satirical comedy. He also translated and adapted earlier writers, including Molière and Voltaire, showing how comfortably he moved between original writing and reshaping major continental works for English audiences.
His career was short, ending with his death in 1744, but he remains an intriguing figure because he belonged to both the church and the stage at once. That unusual combination gives his work a distinctive energy: moral seriousness on one side, and sharp theatrical wit on the other.