I’m in French Guiana with an escaped prisoner

Papillion by Henri Charriere (translated from French by Patrick O’Brian) which was written in the 1960s purports to be an autobiography and it is true that the author spent several years incarcerated in prison camps in French Guiana during the 1930s, although some of the detail of the story may be taken from other accounts or exaggerated for effect. You need to read this book with an awareness that it may not all be completely true and that the author might not be the misunderstood innocent that he portrays himself to be.

Papillon is the nickname of the author, taken from the tattoo of a butterfly on his back. When in his 20s he was convicted of the manslaughter of a pimp in Marseilles (he asserts his innocence many times in the book) and condemned to life imprisonment in the French colony of Guiana. The prison regime was acknowledged to be brutal and those incarcerated had no hope of release so it was violent.

Papillon determined to escape and succeeded in getting away very soon after his transfer to the prison. He stayed away for a number of months but was recaptured after a period of time living with a tribe of indigenous people in Colombia. The book mostly consists of his escape attempts and the solitary confinement punishments that these generate and which need to be endured. Eventually Papillon succeeds during WW2 and reaches Venezuela which refuses to transport him back to France and eventually awards him citizenship.

The book always has a note of hope about it. Papillon is determined not to give in to the prison authorities or to accept his fate. Although the actions of the prison staff and others are often brutal the book doesn’t linger on this too long other than to explain how these can be overcome. The story reads like a thriller and is filled with action and excitement – by the end you are willing Papillon to escape and stay free, however many doubts that you may entertain about his innocence.

I read this book once, a long time ago, and am unsure how I acquired this copy, although I think that it must have been via my monthly used book subscription. Despite the fact that the author is obviously an unreliable narrator I enjoyed his book a lot. This paperback is in good condition so I will pass it on for another reader to find.