by Caraid O’Brien

Sholem Asch Underworld Trilogy: God of Vengeance, Motke Thief, The Dead Man
By Sholem Asch
Translated by Caraid O’Brien
White Goat Press, 2023
ISBN 979-8-9871609-9-2

Purchase Sholem Asch Underworld Trilogy here

Original works
Asch Sholem, “Got fun nekome” and “Motke Ganev,” Dramatishe Shriftn, v. 3, Sholem Asch Committee, New York, 1922
Asch, Sholem, “Der Toiter Mentsh,” Dramatishe Shriftn, v.2, Sholem Asch Committee, New York, 1922.

Prostitutes, criminals, and the walking dead—not the first images that come to mind when you think of the Yiddish theater. But that’s only because you have yet to discover the gritty, transcendent, controversial dramas of Polish-born playwright Sholem Asch.  These three classic Yiddish dramas, newly translated by Caraid O’Brien, take you deep into the Jewish underworld of early twentieth century Poland. The most famous of the trilogy, God of Vengeance, which was banned on Broadway in 1923 for its lesbian love scene, tells the story of a Jewish brothel owner attempting to buy his way into respectable society by commissioning a Torah scroll to be written. Motke Thief, a psychological portrait of a criminal, follows a young boy from his abusive childhood through his murderous apprenticeship in a dodgy circus to becoming the most powerful gangster in town. Motke Thief launched the career of Paul Muni from the Yiddish theater to Broadway to his eventual two Academy Award wins in Hollywood.  

Asch wrote The Dead Man, the third play in this collection, after visiting Jewish communities of Eastern Europe destroyed by World War One in 1919, an experience so traumatizing it caused him to have a breakdown. This anti-war play, set during the flu epidemic, spotlights a community trying to rebuild after its homes and synagogues were reduced to rubble. A soldier, thought to have been killed, returns to tell his neighbors he has found a place where Jews won’t be persecuted. And suddenly, everyone starts dying…Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht gave this haunting play a rave review in its 1922 Chicago debut. 

This first of its kind volume of three Sholem Asch plays in translation includes bibliographic information on each play as well as production histories. White Goat Press designed the book to be read and used by artists, with size 14 font, perfect for impromptu public readings. The margins are extra wide to leave space for director’s notes and character studies. Whether you are considering putting on a play, looking for a great audition monologue, reading it aloud with friends, or just enjoying these major theatrical works by yourself, Sholem Asch’s Underworld Trilogy is a quick, exciting, and revelatory read. 

Sholem Asch (1880–1957) was the most produced literary playwright in Yiddish theater history. The author of over two dozen plays, his works have been translated into numerous languages. The recent hit Broadway play Indecent was inspired by Asch and includes adapted scenes from God of Vengeance. Born in Kutno, Poland, Asch wrote many of his plays in New York City while serializing his novels for the Forward newspaper. 

LINKS

Listen to a radio play recording of one of the plays – The Dead Man here
Listen to a podcast about the book here
Watch a roundtable discussion on Sholem Asch here
Watch the translator discuss producing God of Vengeance here
Watch a scene from God of Vengeance in its original Yiddish here
Read an article about the translator here
Translator website here