A yeshiva student who became a provocative dramatist, bestselling novelist, and embattled prophet, Sholem Asch (1880- 1957) was Yiddish literature's first modern celebrity. One of the best-known Jewish public figures for over half a century, Asch's writings included bestsellers in English translation, and smash hits on the Yiddish stages of Warsaw and New York. His 1907 play God of Vengeance resulted in a famed obscenity trial in New York and has inspired many adaptations and reworkings, including Paula Vogel's recent hit Indecent.