Sholem Asch: Underworld Trilogy

Book Talk & Performance Co-sponsored by the Yiddish Book Center In Person: Admission: Free Zoom Livestream: Admission: Free Watch the video

The newly published translated collection Sholem Asch: Underworld Trilogy (White Goat Press, the Yiddish Book Center’s imprint) includes three of Asch’s Yiddish dramas which take place in the world of the criminals and the literal underworld. Translated by Caraid O'Brien, the “Underworld Trilogy” is comprised of: God of Vengeance (1907), Motke Thief (1917), and The Dead Man (1922). All three works were successfully produced on the Yiddish stages of America and Europe, and their influence continues to be felt throughout the world’s theater today. Sholem Asch remains one of the most translated and performed Yiddish playwrights in history.

Join YIVO for a performance of scenes from the book staged by translator Caraid O'Brien and actors Mark Greenfield and Hal Robinson, followed by a post-show discussion with David Mazower, Chief Curator and Writer of the Yiddish Book Center’s new permanent exhibition, Yiddish: A Global Culture, and the Center’s Research Bibliographer.

Buy the book.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.