Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Papillon

by Henri Charrière, Patrick O'Brian (Translator)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 16,319 ratings · 682 reviews

The greatest true story of escape and adventure ever written!

Condemned for a murder he had not committed, Henri Charrière (nicknamed Papillion) was sent to the penal colony of French Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival he made his first break, travelling a thousand gruelling miles in an open boat. Recaptured, he suffered solitary confinement and was sent eventually to...more

Paperback, 560 pages

Published 1973 by Panther Books Limited (first published 1969)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Books I might actually RE - READ

111th out of 148 books — 81 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 25, 2008 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My mother knew Papillon and another one of the characters in the book (Francoise). He was a customer of my uncle's restaurant Il Padrino, in Venezuela, back in the 60's,70's (after this story was told). My brother was just an infant/toddler at this time and they would take turns throwing him in the air, swinging him, etc.. I told this guy Neil about this and he was shocked that my family knew this guy. He had read the book and loved it so much. So as a gift, he gave me a copy of the book.

This b...more

68 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2006 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Adventure Novel lovers

Shelves: adventure, autobiographical, southamerica

This book is incredible. It is the TRUE story of a prison break from a penal colony in French Guiana which was later made into a movie with Steve McQueen--another of my favorites. If you liked Shawshank, you'll love Papillon.

Henri Charrier, called Papillon for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 for a murder he did not convict and was shipped off to French Guiana. It takes years and several failed attempts for Papillion to escape in this nail-biting story of amazin...more

10 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2007 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Papillon was an enjoyable enough summer read; it was just a little hard to suspend my disbelief at times for a supposedly nonfiction endeavor. I was unsurprised to see in my post-reading research that large portions the story were disputed and that several of Charriere's fellow inmates have claimed over the years that he incorporated the experiences of other would-be escapees and presented them as his own story. I guess this book was a precursor of sorts to A Million Little Pieces in that both a...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2007 Nidhi rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Wow! yes

Its my favorite book till date. One word for it - WOW..Its just amazing and the way the author has described the life of a man in the prisons is amazing. Its wonderful how he tells this man's story spanning so many years. I saw this movie as a kid..I must be very young then maybe class 5 or younger..and ever since then I had a desire in me to read this book whenever I get a chance.

Papillon means butterfly and it symbolises the protagonists' desire to get free from the clutches of jail. The vivi...more

8 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 Normacarpenter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ce livre autobiographique a inspiré en 1973 le film du même nom de Franklin J. Schaffner avec Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman. Très controversé ce livre de souvenirs n’est en fait qu’un assemblage de ses propres anecdotes mêlées à des histoires de compagnons de bagnes. Autrement dit, Charrière se serait largement inspiré des vies d’autres forçats pur écrire son livre. Toutefois les aventures qu’il décrit, s’il est difficile voire impossible de savoir lesquelles peuvent lui être attribuées, n’en es...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2013 Lucas rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lucas Pires Morais
Ms.White
Independent Reading
6th October 12
Papillon
By Henri Charriere, Classic Biography, 544 Pages
This book follows the story of Henry Charriere, more commonly known as “Papillon”, for the butterfly tattoo he has on his chest. Papillon was wrongly accused of murdering a pimp in France and was sentenced to life in prison. He requested that he would be sent to the French Guiana prison, called the Bagne. Although conditions of life were much harsher there, Papillon knew this was th...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Aaron Arnold rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, read-in-2011

I don't care if this book wasn't a 100% factual, honest-to-God documentary account of what actually happened to this guy - it was a magnificent adventure novel, full of blood and drama and action. From what I can tell, Charrière cobbled the narrative out of his own experiences as a prisoner in the pitiless camps of 1930s French Guyana, plus the stories of a few camp-mates, plus his own dramatic license, emerging with a masterpiece. There were many moments where the story is less than totally pla...more I don't care if this book wasn't a 100% factual, honest-to-God documentary account of what actually happened to this guy - it was a magnificent adventure novel, full of blood and drama and action. From what I can tell, Charrière cobbled the narrative out of his own experiences as a prisoner in the pitiless camps of 1930s French Guyana, plus the stories of a few camp-mates, plus his own dramatic license, emerging with a masterpiece. There were many moments where the story is less than totally plausible (if you created a drinking game where you took a shot each time a beautiful woman befriended him out of the blue, or people started doing favors for him for no reason, or an important official preposterously took him into their trust, you would be dead drunk inside of three chapters), and yet Charrière crafted a completely absorbing tropical world of hardened criminals, miserable wretches, forbidding prisons, thrilling escapes, and all-around awesome displays of survival. I think my favorite part, out of a lot of great parts, was Papillon's moment of agonizing choice about a third of the way in, between staying in his beautiful Venezuelan paradise with his two new-found native wives, and returning to seek "vengeance" on what he thinks is the unjust society that shipped him halfway across the world to rot in a jungle charnel house. He idiotically chooses to leave this blissful native paradise, but even when I was cursing him for being a fool I thought his reflections on the differences between the "civilized" European culture who'd condemned him and the indigenous cultures who'd adopted him were well-written and interesting in the light of the complicated relationship Western countries have had with their colonies. The French, while not exactly angels, were often more willing than their neighbors the Spanish and the British to go native and peacefully blend into the various cultures who inhabited their colonies. While I think he overdid the Noble Savage trope a little bit, in terms of the story it makes the protagonist the perfect lone wolf badass who's as at home charming the well-to-do wives of the colonial administrators as he is getting laid with the daughters of whatever tribal chieftains he runs into. Another one of my favorite parts was his first experience in solitary at Devil's Island - I've read other books with prison scenes in them, but his description of the soul-crushing loneliness it engenders is one of the best, and was surely the prototype for countless others. And of course all his various escape attempts are amazing too, but every part of the book can't be your favorite, that's like having dessert for every meal, something only a child would do. This book hit me squarely on that kind of undiluted childish pleasure level. I wish I'd read it when I was twelve, it would have been the perfect companion to The Count of Monte Cristo and Robinson Crusoe. Now to go track down the movie!(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 12, 2012 Cary Griffith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love adventure reads. When my son told me about this book, he described it with such accolades - 'an incredible adventure story, a roaring ride' - I knew I had to read it. I was familiar with the Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman movie (loosely based on the book). But I was unprepared for how much richer, fuller, complete and compelling this book actually turned out to be.
Back to my son, Nick. He talked it up so long and so well I told him if it was that good, why not make it my Christmas gift. H...more

like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 ميّ أحمد rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: روايات

بابليون الفراشة الباحثة عن النور عن الحرية بعد أن فقدها على إثر جريمة فقد على إثرها حياته بالحكم عليه بالسجن المؤبد في سجون فرنسا التي مارست أبشع أنواع الإضطهاد ضد المحكومين , بابي ذا النفس المتمردة والرافضة للخضوع لا ينفك يفكر في الهروب لتحقيق حلمه بالحرية , لاينفك يحلم بالإنتقام ممن كانوا سببا في وقوعه في هذه المحنة القاسية التي حرمته من عائلته وهو في مقتبل العمر , يقوم بابي بتسعة محاولات للهروب من سجانه تعرض بعد كل منها لعقاب لايمكن أن يوصف , كل الأهوال التي عاشها بابي ومنها فقده للأصدقاء إما...more

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2011 Paulinewashington rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Firstly what I learned from this book is that sometimes Dad is right and I owe him an apology. He said I would like this and find it engrossing, I doubted him afterall the very fact that the book was written tells you that he did escape.
Despite knowing that eventually Papillon would succeed in his attempt to escape I found myself routing for him with each attempt,even though I knew that most of these attempts were doomed to failure and that it would only be with the ninth attempt that he would...more

like · see review

Feb 22, 2011 Eleanor rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So this is, like, TOTALLY going to be the year that I finish all the books my book club is reading. I say this because this is book number 2 and I also finished book number 1. Wazzzzup.

This is a memoir about life in and escaping from French penal colonies in French Guiana. Very interesting. However, as with many memoirs the memoirist's point of view gets in the way. Or maybe my awareness of the memoirist's point of view gets in the way. At any rate, I found myself thinking, "Really? Did everyone...more

like · see review

Nov 19, 2010 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is an absolute page turner. I read it many years ago and then again recently. The synopsis is slightly misleading in that Henri aka Papillion was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he did commit. He killed a pimp who was after his sister never believing any judge would find him guilty enough for such a horrific sentence. The French penal colonies make a stay in Sağmalcılar seem like a vacation. The film adaptation while a terrific movie only scratches the surface of Henri's tribu...more

like · see review

Oct 13, 2010 Nicholas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Home of the greatest passage ever.

Quotes:

"Look at them, there in front of you. Can you see them clearly, those dozen cheeseheads brought to Paris from some distant village? They're only petits bourgeois, some retired, others small businessmen. Not worth talking about. You can't expect them to understand your twenty-five years and the life you've lead in Montmartre. To them, Pigalle and the Place Blanche are hell itself, and anybody who stays up half the night is an enemy of society. They like to...more

like · see review

May 23, 2010 John Edwards rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this day and age of instant fact checking and "did it really happen the way he said it did" time in publishing, a book like Papillion could not be published as a memoir. It is simply too fantastic, in the unbelievable sense. But damn if it isn't rip roaring fun in the vein of Alexander Dumas.

Papillion was a real French underworld criminal who is (of course)falsely accused of murdering a pimp. The police frame him, the prosecuter gets a gullible jury to convict him and he is sent to French Guy...more

like · see review

Feb 15, 2010 David rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was published in 1970 as a sensational autobiography, but it's widely considered to be significantly fictionalized. The author was sentenced to life imprisonment in France in the 1930's, for a crime he claims not to have committed. He was sent to French Guiana, and immediately began his escape attempts.

In graphic detail, he describes the misery and injustice of the French penal system, including punishment and torture, solitary confinement, inmate interactions, etc. He escaped repeated...more

like · see review

Sep 05, 2009 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-and-humor, history-and-biography

After seeing the movie "Papillon" (Steve McQueen, awesome), I wanted to read the book. It was OK, but not as compelling as I had expected. Plus, as it turns out, though the book was billed as autobiographical, it probably wasn't. At best, it may have been a loosely realistic account of events experienced by a number of prisoners with whom the author associated while in French prisons.

It covers a fourteen-year period in Papillon's life dating from when he was wrongly convicted of murder. His pun...more

like · see review

Jan 14, 2009 trishtrash rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biog-autobiog-memoirs, classics, non-fiction

I was blown away by this book ... by the strength of character displayed by the author (admittedly not always a character to be unreservedly liked), by the mad adventures he undertook, and by the amazing richness of a life that a court tried to throw into a hole and forget about.

There is something so fundamentally heartening about Papillon’s refusal to remain incarcerated for a crime he did not commit (though he ends his tale by admitting that he was a character ripe to be accused of it) that hi...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Bart Thanhauser rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fun read. I snuck into my room away from my Ibu and host family a fair amount to steal time to read this book. Very entertaining. Perhaps fabricated, but about midway through the book, I decided I didn’t care. It was such a gripping book that fabricated or not, it is a great story. It says some interesting things about prison—it’s an indictment of the French penal colonies, as well as the current American prison system today—which are purely punitive and make few, if any, attempts at rehabilit...more A fun read. I snuck into my room away from my Ibu and host family a fair amount to steal time to read this book. Very entertaining. Perhaps fabricated, but about midway through the book, I decided I didn’t care. It was such a gripping book that fabricated or not, it is a great story. It says some interesting things about prison—it’s an indictment of the French penal colonies, as well as the current American prison system today—which are purely punitive and make few, if any, attempts at rehabilitation. Perhaps it is a easy argument to make, but coming from Charrière’s life it carries added power.

At points the book became sort of preachy and clichéd. Some of the morals and ideals towards the end of the book—while true—seem like the kind you would hear in Sunday School class or in a 6th grade social studies class. Not too belittle them too much; they just seemed trite when put next to an amazing plot. Charrière is also somewhat self-aggrandizing. Perhaps rightfully so--he did after all spend over a decade in some of the most miserable prisons on Earth and tried to escape out of everyone of them. Nonetheless, he is his own humble hero and his professed humility often reads as glorifying bullshit. Also, he does make some questionable statements about race and sexuality. Arab turnkeys seem like pawns of the system. And don’t get Charrière started on Corsicans. Charrière makes plenty of preachy points about the goodness of “simple” Indian people and he praises the generosity of minorities that help him along the way, but still makes odd and unflattering comments about some ethnic groups. Also, at one point in the book Charrière suggests that the Iles de Salut must be paradise for gays because they are well fed, well treated, and can live in freedom with the husbands they take. Perhaps this is true—an indictment of the times (now and then)--where gay men and women don't have the same rights as straight men and women. But it still smacked as stupid—gay or straight, who would be happy on a penal colony?

That said, this book was entertaining and, cheesy as it sounds, inspiring. A great escape story (/stories). Definitely recommended.
(less)

like · see review

Aug 03, 2011 سمية عبد العزيز rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

أفضل أن أكون مجرماً على أن أكون سجّاناً
هكذا قال بابليون
الفتى الفرنسي الذي اُتهم زوراً بجريمة قتل أودعته السجن المؤبد
العدالة الفرنسية جعلته يتمنى هذه الأمنية
جحيث أغلب السجّانين مجرمون حقيقيون وأغلب المسجونين أبرياء أو متهمون بقضايا تافهة
معاصرته السجناء وإخلاصهم ووفائهم لبعضهم بعض جعلته يتمنى هذه الأمنية فليس المهم في أي جانب أنت
ليس المهم أن تكون الأفضل بنظر المجتمع والحكومة بل المهم ما تحمله من روح داخلك
هل هي حقاً روح إنسان!! يشفق على أخيه الإنسان ويهتم به ويرعاه
أم روح حقودة تتمنى الشر للآخر وتقص...more

5 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2010 Mat Cendana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: The gullible

This is the first non-abridged book that I had read when I was 17; and had reread it at least three times. This autobiography of a indefatigable French convict who was sent to a penal colony in South America thrilled me and captured my imagination. The number of times he had escaped or attempted to, the preparations, the punishments, the harsh living conditions - Papillon faced up to all the challenges. When he was beaten, he got up again... he was the real-life hero in my impressionable mind.

An...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2009 Jacki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't know anything about this book before starting, but after I finished, I looked at some other reviews and found out that it created a lot of controversy when it came out. The controversy came from the fact that there is no possible way that all of this is true. Part of me thinks that that doesn't really take away from the story, and part of me feels cheated. Total replay of Million Little Pieces.

The story is that Henri Charriere was in all these prisons, escaped from all of them, did his...more

like · see review

Jul 04, 2012 Jeanne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Papillon" est cette chose rare: un roman de 600 pages dont aucune n'est ennuyeuse. Au contraire, cette histoire est fascinante de la première à la dernière page.

Charrière fut faussement accusé de meurtre en 1931 et condamné à perpétuité au bagne en Guyane française. Le régime là, dit le chemin de la pourriture, était affreux. Résolu qu'il n'y appartiendrait jamais, il s'évada. Sa récompense fut d'abord un cachot inondé de la mer toutes les marées, puis un séjour à la réclusion, la mangeuse d'ho...more

like · see review

Nov 04, 2011 Sorcha added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2004, non-fiction

A difficult book to read and I would have abandoned it had it not been the choice for the book club. I know that some people enjoyed it and some have even found it inspirational - I found it boring and tedious. And I dont care if Steve Mcqueen was in the movie, that didnt make me hate it any less.[return][return]In principal, it should be a great book: Man imprisoned for a crime he didnt commit, escapes from one penal colony, has a great time on an island pretending to be something he's not, get...more

like · see review

Sep 12, 2011 Nenia Campbell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: x-1960s, reviewed

This is the memoir of Henri Charriere, and his repeated escapes from prisons all over the world following a conviction for a murder he did not commit. He was a member of the underworld in Paris, involved in minor violence, petty theft, and prostitution, and seemed like an ideal scapegoat for the murder of a pimp. With the testimony of one dubious witness, he gets sent to the French prison colony in Guiana. His prison name is Papillon, because of a large butterfly tattoo across his chest.

During m...more This is the memoir of Henri Charriere, and his repeated escapes from prisons all over the world following a conviction for a murder he did not commit. He was a member of the underworld in Paris, involved in minor violence, petty theft, and prostitution, and seemed like an ideal scapegoat for the murder of a pimp. With the testimony of one dubious witness, he gets sent to the French prison colony in Guiana. His prison name is Papillon, because of a large butterfly tattoo across his chest.

During many moments in the book, I had to suspend my disbelief because I had trouble accepting that everything presented in this book was real. Papillon is a veritable Houdini when it comes to escaping from prison -- he does it about twenty times. I get that he's a total daredevil and brave, but it also struck me as completely inane; most of the time, his attempts to escape led to even worse treatment (in one case he gets thrown into a dank prison cell where they're immersed in water at chest-level during high tides, and when it's dry, there are infestations of venomous centipedes). Papillon knew what the consequences would be and yet he still attempted cavale after cavale. However the sheer bizarreness of this book transcends the escape attempts. He provides many detailed descriptions of prison culture, the people and foreign lands he encounters, and the idiosyncratic habits of his friends and enemies.

One of the first thing he does at his new prison is create a plan. From what I could gather from the text, a plan is French prison slang for a capsule that you fill with gold, or diamonds, or money, and then you insert it up the anus until it's lodged in the colon. Whenever you're in need of funds, you go to the restroom and retrieve the plan. Many of his other friends also have plans, including one, whose plan is made of solid gold.

In the second escape attempt, after being assisted by a colony of lepers, he makes his way to an Indian tribe near Colombia that's supposed to be horribly savage and intolerant of white people. Naturally, they take to Papillon (as nearly everyone else does in this story) and he hooks up with two bodacious Indian babes (who are also sisters). They're pearl divers and since he's the husband, his wife presents him with a cache of pearls nearly every day. The chief and him become total broskis after he uses a mirror to trace images of his own tattoo onto the chief, and then filling them in with a knife and India ink. Yet in spite of the fact that he is clearly living the Everyman's Dream, and that he repents his mistake sorely many times in the future, Papillon becomes dissatisfied with life and tries to escape -- yet again.

He also pretends to be insane to get locked up in an asylum because he believes that it will be easier to escape (as the island the asylum is on is not as heavily guarded as the main prison). With the help of a conspiring guard and doctor, he enlists someone to help him make a raft out of barrels of olive oil who ends up being dashed upon the rocks during the test drive. Papillon is then almost boiled alive by a patient who he nearly killed when he is soaking in a bromine bath and the patient turns off the cold faucet, leaving him soaking in hot water while wrapped in a canvas.

There are numerous descriptions of torture, gay sex and the subculture of finding a "wife" in prison, vicious displays of power abuse, sociopaths, greed, and pretty much every human vice you can think of. I was fascinated by the people who were willing to help Papillon, but wondered at it, too. He seemed to think that it was because they were good people and in some cases I agree, but others, not so much. I wonder if there were ulterior motives in those that assisted his escape because some of them, particularly some of the guards and inmates, were clearly NOT nice people. And some of the people who "betrayed" him, like the nuns and the two sisters, who he wanted to get revenge upon, had understandable motives in returning him to the authorities. He portrays many dark aspects of humanity that many people probably weren't and still aren't comfortable with. I bet this book was banned in a lot of places when first published! Even now, in an era that prides itself on tolerance, it was a hard concept to swallow. I definitely would not recommend this book to the faint of heart, especially if you're offended by things of an explicit nature.

Overall, I think this was a very interesting tale. Disturbing, but well-written. I do not think that Henri is a bad man, necessarily, but he is certainly not a nice one. Even if he was not guilty of murder at the beginning of the story, I feel like prison corrupted him, as each of his stays in the various prisons resulted in the addition of more and more vices. This is definitely a good book to read if you're interested in books like Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, or rehabilitation. This is a GREAT book to read because it really shows how horrible prisons can be. It also shows, in my opinion, how men who commit lesser crimes can be corrupted into committing greater crimes when put into the company of even more dangerous criminals.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 02, 2009 Heidi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Henri Charriere was (purportedly) unjustly accused and convicted of a murder, and sentenced to life internment/interment in the penal colony of French Guiana. He describes his experiences there and during his multiple "cavales" (escape attempts), culminating in his final, successful attempt that lands him in Venezuela.

Charriere's style is very conversational: you can picture yourself seated in front of a fireplace listening to him recount his adventures. On the other hand, it is a bit hard to b...more

like · see review

Oct 31, 2008 Sheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having read and enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo years ago, I fell into an easy pattern reading this memoir and was in awe of the determination and persistence Charriere showed. His descriptions of the inhumane treatment of the prisoners are hard to take, however, and at times I wished that the book would skip through yet another failed escape and subsequent punishment.

like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a story! Papillon is an autobiographical novel about a man who in 1931 was charged with killing someone (the author claims he was innocent) and he was sentenced to a life of hard labor at a penal colony in French Guiana. After many weeks of planning, he managed to escape on a raft and sailed hundreds of miles to Colombia. He spent several months living happily in a fishing village (with not one but two wives!) but he was eventually picked up by the authorities and sent back to prison. He tr...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 02, 2011 Jayne Charles rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you believe this is all true (as it's supposed to be) then it's surely one of the best and most exciting real life stories of all time. Even if you don't believe it (and some of the bits seemed to have been exaggerated) it's still one heck of a gripping read. The endless stretches of solitary confinement, which could have been boring, made for some of the most haunting reading I have encountered in literature.

It was fascinating to hear about the protocol of escaping from a penal colony. Arri...more

like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Nicoleta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Una din cele mai uimitoare carti pe care le-am citit vreodata. Mi-a placut atat de mult ca nu-mi mai venea sa o las din mana (ma rog pana aproape de final)
Practic este povestea autorului care a fost condamnat pentru o crima pe care nu a comis-o (zice el), la munca silnica pe viata, in una din ocnele din Guineea franceza. Actiunea incepe in 1933 (deci dupa Primul Razboi Mondial) cand se presupune ca lumea si mai ales Franta avea un grad inalt de civilizare.
De la bun inceput Papillon are ca scop s...more Una din cele mai uimitoare carti pe care le-am citit vreodata. Mi-a placut atat de mult ca nu-mi mai venea sa o las din mana (ma rog pana aproape de final)
Practic este povestea autorului care a fost condamnat pentru o crima pe care nu a comis-o (zice el), la munca silnica pe viata, in una din ocnele din Guineea franceza. Actiunea incepe in 1933 (deci dupa Primul Razboi Mondial) cand se presupune ca lumea si mai ales Franta avea un grad inalt de civilizare.
De la bun inceput Papillon are ca scop sa evadeze si nu se da batut pana ce intr-un final, dupa 12 ani de ocna reuseste sa evadeze.
Pana ce fluturele nostru isi gseste perechea potrivita de aripi pentruevadarea finala, va trece prin multe intamplari, unele mai haioase, altele chiar tragice, cum ar fi doi ani de recluziune - asta insemnand ca a fost obligat sa stea intro celul micuta micuta de tot, doi ani, cu mancare putina, fara sa iasa afara si fara sa vorbeasca cu absolut nimeni (asta in conditiile in care venea dintr-o tara civilizata!), mai tarziu va fi condamnat din nou la opt ani de recluziune (in conditiile in care nimeni nu a rezistat mai mult de cinci), dar va scapa in cele din urma cu un an si opt luni din cauza unei fapte curajoase.
Cum am zis trece prin nenumarate incercari si prin nenumarate probleme dar cu ajutorul prietenilor pe cre si-i face si cu ajutor chiar din partea unor necunoscuti care binevoiesc sa-l ajute, reuseste sa treaca peste toate pentrua-si indepliniscopul final.
Trebuie sa va avertizez ca aveti nevoie de un stomac destul de rezistent, deoarece sunt descrise mai multe scene care e posibil sa va solicite rezistenta la chestii maiscarboase: gen tubul si "casa de bani" sau vizita la leprosi si alte scene care nu sunt chiar placute.
O alta scena/capitol al vietii lui care mi-a placut foarte mult a fost sederea lui intr-un trib de indieni salbatici, din timpul unei evadari. Ganditi-va ca in perioada in care lumea se credea extrem de civilizata inca mai existaun astfel de trib care nu avea nici cea mai mica legatura directa cu lumea civilizata. Aici descrie modul lor de viata, obiceiurile pe care le aveau (spre exemplu barbatul avea mai multe sotii si fiecare ave usa lui/ei in casa, pe care nu avea voie sa intre nimeni altcineva) descrie felul cum pescuiau perle sicum a reusit sa il tatueze pe seful tribului. Culmea ironiei si ceea ce nimeni nu crede cand va povesti maitarziu este ca acesti indieniil adopta, ii dau o casa si ajunge sa aiba si doua neveste pe care le lasa insarcinate atunci cand pleaca.
Sincer mie mi s-a parut o carte senzationala si o recomand oricui este inebunit de romane de aventura si de experiente.

Publicat si pe http://mindbodyandspirithealthy.wordp...(less)

like · see review

Feb 03, 2009 John Hawklyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book provides insight into mans incredible rationalization capability. The protagonist begins the novel as a wounded wronged person, with a strong desire for vengeance.

[Spoiler Alert:]

*
**
****
*****
******
*******
********
*********
**********
***********
**********
*********
********
*******
*****
***
**
*
If he's as innocent as he proclaims, then why, when free does he gravitate into crime so readily? Yet once free, his protestations of total innocence ring false against the backdrop of his subsequent ac...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Adventure, Courage, Determination, Nothing is Impossible!!	2	12	Nov 28, 2012 05:56am

combine
Other Editions (72)

More editions...

Genres

Non Fiction

132 users

Biography

103 users

Classics

81 users

Adventure

52 users

Autobiography > Memoir

39 users

Cultural > France

33 users

Biography > Autobiography

29 users

History

27 users

Mystery > Crime

25 users

Literature

19 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Midnight Express
by Billy Hayes
The Cruel Sea
by Nicholas Monsarrat
Sunset Song
by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
The Day of the Jackal
by Frederick Forsyth
Sleepovers
by Jacqueline Wilson

About Henri Charrière

Henri Charrière was a convicted murderer chiefly known as the author of Papillon, a hugely successful memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony on French Guiana.

More about Henri Charrière...

Books by Henri Charrière

Banco: The Further Adventures of Papillon

Papillon - Người Tù Khổ Sai 2 (Papillon, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Papillon

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Papillon

“We have too much technological
progress, life is too hectic, and our society has only one goal: to invent
still more technological marvels to make life even easier and better.
The craving for every new scientific discovery breeds a hunger for
greater comfort and the constant struggle to achieve it. All that kills the
soul, kills compassion, understanding, nobility. It leaves no time for
caring what happens to other people, least of all criminals. Even the
officials in Venezuela's remote areas are better for they're also
concerned with public peace. It gives them many headaches, but they
seem to believe that bringing about a man's salvation is worth the
effort. I find that magnificent.” — 13 people liked it

“This was 1941 and I'd been in prison eleven years. I was thirty-five. I'd spent the best years of my life either in a cell or in a black-hole. I'd only had seven months of total freedom with my Indian tribe. The children my Indian wives must have had by me would be eight years old now. How terrible! How quickly the time had flashed by! But a backward glance showed all these hours and minutes studding my calvary as terribly long, and each one of them hard to bear.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Papillon
avg rating	preview: Papillon Goodreads rating: 4.19 (16319 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/879826.Papillon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327168256l/879826.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/879826.Papillon?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Papillon by Henri Charrière[/url]

Papillon

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website