Papillon
Condemned for a murder he did not commit, Henri Charriere, known as Papillon, was sent to the penal colony of French Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival he made his first break, travelling a thousand greulling miles in an open boat. Recaptured, his spirit remained untamed - in thirteen years...
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Condemned for a murder he did not commit, Henri Charriere, known as Papillon, was sent to the penal colony of French Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival he made his first break, travelling a thousand greulling miles in an open boat. Recaptured, his spirit remained untamed - in thirteen years he made nine amazingly daring escapes, including one from the notorious Devil's Island.
An immediate sensation upon its 1969 publication, Papillon is one of the greatest adventure stories ever told, a true tale of courage, resilience and an unbreakable will.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780007179961 (0007179960)
Publish date: 2005-05-03
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages no: 560
Edition language: English
Category:
Adventure,
Classics,
Non Fiction,
Autobiography,
Memoir,
Biography,
History,
European Literature,
Cultural,
Mystery,
Crime,
France,
French Literature
There's some dispute over whether this is 100% factual, but even so it's a good read.Henri Charriere is sent to the French penal colonies after being set up.Tells of his time on the islands and various escape attempts.It's told in an engaging style, and he brings other characters to life. Some of hi...
An amazing story about an innocent man's will to survive and escape the abhorrent conditions of the French penal institutions in Guiana in 1931. It is book full of adventure, intrigue, friendship,sorrow, joy, heartache, revenge, life, persistence and fate! it's a gripping story and a page turner.
16/6 - Knowing nothing about this book or Charrière, only knowing the word papillon and it's English translation through the fact that there's a dog breed that's called papillon because the dog's fluffy ears (vaguely) resemble a butterfly's wings, I picked this up off the 'new and recently returned'...
I think it's mostly his style, in many senses of the word, which keep this thing so readable. Otherwise, he'd have naturally had long dry spells barely worth recording. It may have helped that he's said to have written it all out in 2 days or so. I've heard it suggested that he couldn't have lived a...
Up until I got bored with it, the writing was good. But some of the "adventures", I have to say - Yeah, righ. Male Wish Fullment.