Jean-Paul Sartre, Les Mains sales [Crime Passionnel]

Benedict Paul O'Donohoe (University of Sussex)

Ed. by David Houston Jones, University of Exeter
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.07: French Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kate Averis (University of Western Australia), Hugo Azerad (University of Cambridge), Patrick ffrench (King's College London), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Akane Kawakami (Birkbeck, University of London), Siobhán McIlvanney (King's College London), Sinan Richards (King's College London), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1948

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

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A young woman, Olga, is listening nervously to the radio as it announces the retreat of the German military, the advance of the Soviet army, and the defection of Illyrian troops to the Russian side. There is sudden and insistent knocking at her door; she arms herself with a revolver before admitting Hugo, a still younger man (in his early twenties), who, it is immediately clear, is at least as anxious as his host. Stuttering dialogue ensues: Hugo has just been released from prison; he and Olga are members of the same political party, and possibly former lovers; he is evidently in fear of his life, and with good reason. Moments later, there is another knock at the door: enter two armed thugs, looking for Hugo...

This melodramatic opening of Les Mains sales (Dirty Hands) sets the tone for a

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3236 words

Citation: O'Donohoe, Benedict Paul. "Les Mains sales". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 September 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11115, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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