Paul Weiss's Reviews > Papillon

A true tale of courage, perseverance and an unbreakable spirit!

Henri Charrière, born in France in 1906, was not a gentleman. In 1931, following a shadowy career in the Paris underworld spent in the company of safecrackers, thieves and prostitutes, he was convicted for a murder he always maintained he did not commit and sentenced to transportation and life imprisonment in the notorious penal camps located in French Guiana.

Charrière, determined to preserve his health, his sanity, his spirit and, indeed, even his capacity for enjoyment of life, under unimaginably deplorable conditions and suffering inhuman punishment and abuse, always maintained that he was only visiting the prison. He definitely had no intention of hanging around for long. Labelled as "dangerous" by the prison authorities, he was an incorrigible "escaper".

After serving a scant six weeks in French Guiana, Papillon (Charrière's nickname earned in the navy due to a magnificent butterfly tattoo on his chest) escaped for the first time completing an astonishing sea-faring voyage worthy of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Without benefit of either maps or compass, Papillon navigated a thousand miles through shark-infested waters in an open boat to Colombia. With the assistance of a leper colony, he ultimately found his way to a native village tribe where he "married" not one but two young native girls who positively adored him and bore his children.

But life was not yet finished with Papillon. Recaptured, he was cruelly sentenced to two years of solitary confinement and a starvation diet which was intended to break both his body and his spirit. It's difficult to believe but, when Papillon was released to the general prison population, he remained all the more determined to escape once again.

PAPILLON tells the story of seven more daring but unsuccessful attempts. His ninth and final attempt on a raft of coconuts enclosed in a jute bag is described in breathless detail and has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and endurance that I've ever been privileged to read.

How much of Charrière's autobiography PAPILLON is hyperbole and how much is fact is certainly not clear. Some have accused Charrière of stealing the adventures of his fellow inmates and representing them as his own. But, to the breathless reader, none of this will matter. Incorporating themes reminiscent of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, PAPILLON has to count as one of the most exciting stories of adventure and survival that I've ever read.

Be warned! Don't crack the binding on PAPILLON unless you've got the time to finish it. Setting it down until Papillon successfully reaches the safety of the shores of Venezuala will not be an option.

PAPILLON was a sensation when it was first published in 1969 and it remains sensational to this day. Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss