God, Man, and Devil is an anthology of five Yiddish plays in translation, plus two additional independent scenes, all written by well-known playwrights in the first quarter of the twentieth century. The settings range widely--a luxurious parlor, a haunted graveyard, a farmyard, a sweatshop on strike, a subway, and the boardwalk of Atlantic City. The plays evoke tears and laughter through melodrama, expressionism, satire, fantasy, farce, suspense, and romance. But all consider the same question: what is life's moral purpose? And all display the theatrical flair that made Yiddish audiences such passionate fans of their dramas and their stars. Translated and edited to make them more accessible for both reading and performance, the plays are accompanied by prefaces and notes to help students of theater and of Jewish culture by providing historical context, production histories, and elucidation of references.

Author: Nahma Sandrow
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Published: 01/01/1999
Series: Judaic Traditions in Literature, Music, and Art
Pages: 336
Weight: 0.98lbs
Size: 8.99h x 6.05w x 0.77d
ISBN: 9780815627876


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 12/01/1998

About the Author
Nahma Sandrow, professor of English at Bronx Community College CUNY, wrote the books for two award-winning musicals, Vagabond Stars and Kunileml, each based on Yiddish theater material.