Les Mains Sales
| Dirty Hands | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Jean-Paul Sartre |
| Date premiered | 2 April 1948 |
| Place premiered | Theatre Antoine, Paris |
| Original language | French |
| Genre | Political drama |
| Setting | Illyria |
Dirty Hands (French: Les Mains sales) is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre. It was first performed on 2 April 1948 at the Theatre Antoine in Paris, directed by Pierre Valde and starring François Périer, Marie Olivier and André Luguet.
A political drama set in the fictional country of Illyria between 1943 and 1945, the story is about the assassination of a leading politician. The story is told mainly in the form of a flashback, with the killer describing how he carried out his mission. The killer's identity is established from the beginning, but the question is whether his motivations were political or personal. Thus, the play's main theme is not on who did it but on why it was done.
The action takes place in Illyria, a fictional Eastern European country, during the latter stages of World War II. (Illyria was an actual country of classical antiquity, whose territory included modern Albania and surroundings.) The country, an ally of Nazi Germany, is on the verge of being annexed to the Eastern Bloc.
A young Communist, Hugo Barine, is told that Hoederer, a party leader, has proposed talks with non-Socialist groups, including the Fascist government and the liberal- and Nationalist-led resistance. The idea is to set up a joint resistance group opposing the Germans, and plan for a post-war coalition government. Hugo feels that Hoederer's policy smacks of treachery. Louis, another party leader, has decided that Hoederer must die. He grudgingly agrees to let Hugo, who has more commitment than experience, do the job.
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