German by Hinrich Schmidt-Henkel

Do you imagine one can govern innocently?

Branded by his bourgeois background, young Hugo remains a small cog in his party. But war is raging, and Hugo is prepared to fight – and die – for his ideals. As proof of his determination, he even offers to assassinate the disgraced party secretary Hoederer. Hoederer is seeking a compromise with the opposing factions so that he can join the government after the war. Initially determined to carry out his mission, Hugo is increasingly persuaded by Hoederer's arguments – "betraying the ideals of the party" becomes the most sensible course of action in terms of realpolitik. But when Hugo has reason to believe that his wife has cheated on him with Hoederer, the situation changes fundamentally for the young intellectual.

With the political thriller *Dirty Hands*, Sartre explores the timeless question of the incompatibility of political practice and moral integrity. In doing so, he demonstrates how dependent ideals and beliefs are on both day-to-day politics and private emotions, and the gap that exists between idealism and realpolitik.

(Source: josefstadt.org)