Publisher’s
write-up:
‘An immediate sensation upon its publication in 1969, Papillon is a
vivid memoir of brutal penal colonies, daring prison breaks and heroic
adventure on shark-infested seas.Condemned for a murder he did not commit,
Henri Charriere, nicknamed Papillon, was sent to the penal colony of French
Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival he made his first break for freedom,
travelling a thousand gruelling miles in an open boat. He was recaptured and
put into solitary confinement but his spirit remained untamed: over thirteen
years he made nine incredible escapes, including from the notorious penal
colony on Devil’s Island.’
Note: I read this book
in French
Afin de lire mon avis en français, cliquez ici
Papillon is an autobiographical book from Henri Charrière, who was
accused of a murder and was eventually sent to French Guiana, which was then a
penal colony. This book recounts his incredible story, where he took up the
name ‘Papillon’ (Butterfly in French) and tried to escape the colony, several
times and how he reconstructed his life.
The story starts with his conviction in France during the inter-war
period. He was first sent to the prison in Caen, Normandy, before being sent to
French Guiana. He recounts the tough conditions under which he lived, the friendships
that he had made in the prison during these times, and the steps he took to get
reprieve from the miscarriage of justice. During this story, he did succeed initially
to escape the colony, set up a new life with the indigenous people in an island
in the Caribbean before deciding to go back to French Guiana to get his justice.
This was an incredible story that almost felt like reading a thriller
novel. I am using the word ‘novel’ deliberately over here as I am not sure if
the retelling by the author is entirely honest; which included me not being sure
on where he was exaggerating or simply making things up. However, it was still
interesting to know what was going on in French Guiana during this time and how
it was used as a prison which had harsh living conditions. The political aspect
was also interesting, given the French Guyanese administration backed the Vichy
regime and the impact that had on his potential acquittal was interesting. The
most interesting character in this whole book is for sure, that of Papillon,
maybe a tad too glorified, as someone who had solutions at any given situation.
The conversations he had with the priests at the church was very something I
enjoyed, given that Papillon was an atheist.
The only problem I found with this book is the character of Papillon
himself – even though he was unjustly condemned in France, the actions he took
while in the colony were hardly honourable, which included betraying his peers,
and even abandoning his wives from the indigenous islands after having impregnated
them. Thus, it was difficult for me to believe that he was someone completely
clean and was certainly capable of doing very bad things.
To conclude, whether we believe this book to be the whole truth or not,
I still found it to be an interesting read which gave a good insight into the
historic situation in French Guiana. On that note, I award the book a rating of
seven on ten.
Rating – 7/10
Have a nice day,
Andy
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