God of Vengeance
One play, Two authors
God of Vengeance was originally written by Sholem Asch in 1907. Translated into
many languages, performed worldwide, it premiered on Broadway in English in
1923.
In the 1990s new interest drove new translations, including a production by
Stephen Fife. But it got the most visibility when Donald Margulies – the unofficial
contemporary Jewish American playwright – wrote his adaptation in 2000.
Sholem Asch
(1880-1957) Polish-born Yiddish-language writer
Donald Margulies
(1954-present) American playwright
Novelist, playwright, essayist
Professor of English and Theatre Studies, Yale University
Central writer in 20th Century Yiddish literature
Frequently produced by Manhattan Theatre Club
12-volume collected works (early 1920s)
Plays often explore personal impact of ethical dilemmas
The Forward (largest Yiddish newspaper) dropped and
attacked him for promoting Christianity via later novels The
Nazarene, The Apostle, and Mary
Plays often probe common takes on assimilation, the
Holocaust, and comedic Jewish family
Novels (selected)
•  Motke Ganev (Motke the Thief, 1916)
•  Kiddush ha-Shem (1919)
•  Farn Mabul trilogy (Before the Flood or The Three Cities,
1929-31)
•  East River (1946) – 6 months New York Times best seller
(1 week at #1)
•  The Nazarene (1939)
•  Moses (1951)
Plays (selected)
•  Got fun Nekomeh (God of Vengeance, 1907)
•  Der Veg tsu Zikh (The Way to Onself, 1917)
•  Motke Ganev (Motke the Thief, 1917)
•  Onkl Mozes (Uncle Moses, 1918)
Plays (selected)
•  The Loman Family Picnic (1989)
•  Sight Unseen (1992) – Obie Award; Pulitzer Prize finalist
(1992)
•  What s Wrong with This Picture? (1994)
•  The Model Apartment (1995) – Obie Award
•  Collected Stories (1996) – Pulitzer Prize finalist (1997)
•  Dinner with Friends (1998) – 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
•  God of Vengeance (2000) – premiered at ACT (Seattle)
•  Brooklyn Boy (2003)
•  Shipwrecked! An Entertainment (2007)
•  Time Stands Still (2009) – 2010 Tony Best Play nomination
•  Coney Island Christmas (2013)