Sholem Asch Reconsidered

In the first half of the 20th century, Sholem Asch was well known in both Jewish and non-Jewish literary circles. Born in Poland, he divided his time between Europe and the United States. He wrote in Yiddish but thanks to the great popularity of both his novels and plays, Asch was translated into English and other languages early on. At the height of his fame he was a household name in the Yiddish-speaking world and on the world literary stage. With the publication of his novels on the origins of Christianity (The Nazarene, 1939; The Apostle, 1943; Mary, 1949), Asch's fortunes began to falter. His Yiddish-reading public--primarily in the United States--turned away from him, and he was never able to re-establish his bond with them.

This is the first modern discussion of Asch by some of the most distinguished Yiddish literary critics of our time, among them Dan Miron, David Roskies and Seth Wolitz. Along with a discussion of the Christological novels, the writers examine the author's play God of Vengeance, his American fiction, and his novels that deal with the European Jewish reality of radical change and dislocation at the beginning of the 20th century. The book also includes an overview of Asch's life by his great-grandson, David Mazower.

Asch saw himself as a man of letters whose work belonged both in the Jewish world and in modern Western literature. His approach to religious faith was equally ecumenical. This book begins the process of re-examining Asch's work and thought.