Born OTD in 1905, Jean-Paul Sartre. French philosopher, playwright, novelist, political activist & biographer. He was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism & phenomenology, & one of the leading figures in 20th-century French philosophy & Marxism. His work has also influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, & literary studies, & continues to influence these disciplines. “June 1940 was the summer of defeat for the French soldiers, deserted by their officers, utterly demoralized, awaiting the Armistice. Day by day, hour by hour, Iron in the Soul unfolds what men thought & felt & did as France fell. Men who shrugged, men who ran, men who fought and tragic men like Mathieu, who had dedicated his life to finding personal freedom, now overwhelmed by remorse and bitterness, who must learn to kill.”