Sholem Asch: Underworld Trilogy, with Caraid O'Brien

The newly published translated collection Sholem Asch: Underworld Trilogy (White Goat Press) 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.

A writer, performer, translator, and director, Caraid O’Brien has translated seven plays by Sholem Asch from Yiddish into English. Her debut translation of Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance “set Show World aflame” according to the Village Voice. She is a three-time recipient of a new play commission from the Foundation for Jewish Culture. Her audio performance and translation of Klara Klebanova's memoir about the Russian Revolution, The Last Maximalist, as well as The Dead Man, Sholem Asch's drama about the flu epidemic of 1919, were produced by The Yiddish Book Center and available to listen to here. Her latest Asch translation, On the Road to Zion, debuted as a radio play with the Yiddish Book Center this spring. She spent ten years studying theater with Luba Kadison, the last surviving member of the Vilna Troupe, and five years studying musical theater history with legendary crooner Seymour Rexite.