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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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 est pas moins passionnant. La vie du bagne, la misère des forçats condamnés à de lourdes peines de travaux forcés est révoltante, et on en apprend beaucoup sur leur condition de détention, les peines dans la peine, en cas de délits au sein du bagne. On y découvre un monde à part, celui des « durs » et des relégués, ceux du milieu et les petits délinquants, leur rapports sociaux, leur organisation au sein de cette microsociété, dangereuse mais d’une richesse surprenante. Il y a aussi la volonté d’un homme, jeune et en bonne santé, qui ne veut pas se résoudre à une mort lente, et qui durant des années mettra au point de nombreuses cavales au nom de la liberté. Fort et dépaysant, ce livre que je qualifierais de semi-autobiographique m’a donné envie d’en lire un autre, celui de René Belbenoit et Philippe Schmitz (Matricule 46635 : L’Extraordinaire aventure du forçat qui inspira Papillon)
Le français très approximatif du récit pourra rendre la lecture pénible de temps à autres, mais l’ensemble est si captivant que l’on plonge dans l’aventure de Papillon avec plaisir.
Le français très approximatif du récit pourra rendre la lecture pénible de temps à autres, mais l’ensemble est si captivant que l’on plonge dans l’aventure de Papillon avec plaisir.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Inhoud: Henri Charrière wordt door zijn vrienden ook wel Papillon genoemd bij zijn vrienden aan Mon Martre. Papillon wordt onterecht veroordeeld voor moord door valse getuigenissen en krijgt een levenslange gevangenisstraf in Frans-Guyana, Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni en het beruchte Duivelseiland (Île du Diable). Hij is vastberaden te ontsnappen, maar zijn eerste pogingen mislukken. Als straf wordt hij naar een gevangenis verplaatst waar nog nooit iemand van ontsnapt is. Hij tracht uiteindelijk negen keer te ontsnappen waarbij de laatste poging slaagt, hij ontsnapt op een zak kokosnoten. Op één van zijn ontsnappingen verblijft hij enkele maanden bij een Indianendorp waarbij hij twee kinderen verwekt bij twee Indiaanse zussen.
Waardering:
Omdat ik, toen ik het boek las, nog geen beoordelingen en mening gaf over boeken is het voor mij niet mogelijk om nu een juiste waardering aan het boek te geven. Ik hoop in de aankomende jaren tijd te vinden om de serie weer op te pakken om opnieuw te lezen, zodat ik ook dit boek een waardering kan geven.
Overige boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij: Meulenhoff
ISBN : 90.290.4059.9
512 pagina’s; paperback
Verfilming:
Regie Franklin J. Schaffner, Productie Ted Richmond
Hoofdrol(len) Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman; Uitgebracht 16 december 1973
Waardering:
Omdat ik, toen ik het boek las, nog geen beoordelingen en mening gaf over boeken is het voor mij niet mogelijk om nu een juiste waardering aan het boek te geven. Ik hoop in de aankomende jaren tijd te vinden om de serie weer op te pakken om opnieuw te lezen, zodat ik ook dit boek een waardering kan geven.
Overige boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij: Meulenhoff
ISBN : 90.290.4059.9
512 pagina’s; paperback
Verfilming:
Regie Franklin J. Schaffner, Productie Ted Richmond
Hoofdrol(len) Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman; Uitgebracht 16 december 1973
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This took me a bit longer than I was expecting to get through, but wow was it a ride!
My dad isn't much of a reader, but this is a book that he's raved about to me for awhile, so I have wanted to read it for quite a long time now. I saw that it was available at my library and thought it was finally the time to give it a go, and it definitely took me on a journey.
Technically, this book is a memoir, but it reads more like a fiction novel because a lot of what happens is so wild that it's almost unbelievable. I know that there's a lot of controversy about this too so I'm not sure if it's all really true, but regardless it does make for a great story in the end that's for sure.
It's quite a long book at about 500+ pages, but it's pretty fast paced at the same time because there's A LOT that happens in this book. There are times when it does get a little repetitive (the numerous times he tries to escape) and overly descriptive for my taste, but things move at a pretty steady pace overall. It was also a bit hard to keep up with the cast of characters because there were just so many of them. It makes you think how he was able to remember everything as clearly as he did? I can barely remember what I ate the day before...
Overall, I had a good time with this book. I don't know if we'll ever truly be able to confirm that it's all true, and a lot of it was pretty unfathomable to me, but it was still a great read and I can definitely why Papillon's story stuck with my dad since he read this as a twelve year old (which is a little too young to be reading this imo but at least he had good taste).
3.5/5
My dad isn't much of a reader, but this is a book that he's raved about to me for awhile, so I have wanted to read it for quite a long time now. I saw that it was available at my library and thought it was finally the time to give it a go, and it definitely took me on a journey.
Technically, this book is a memoir, but it reads more like a fiction novel because a lot of what happens is so wild that it's almost unbelievable. I know that there's a lot of controversy about this too so I'm not sure if it's all really true, but regardless it does make for a great story in the end that's for sure.
It's quite a long book at about 500+ pages, but it's pretty fast paced at the same time because there's A LOT that happens in this book. There are times when it does get a little repetitive (the numerous times he tries to escape) and overly descriptive for my taste, but things move at a pretty steady pace overall. It was also a bit hard to keep up with the cast of characters because there were just so many of them. It makes you think how he was able to remember everything as clearly as he did? I can barely remember what I ate the day before...
Overall, I had a good time with this book. I don't know if we'll ever truly be able to confirm that it's all true, and a lot of it was pretty unfathomable to me, but it was still a great read and I can definitely why Papillon's story stuck with my dad since he read this as a twelve year old (which is a little too young to be reading this imo but at least he had good taste).
3.5/5
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
This book was so difficult to get through. The author's ego was unbearable, and the way he treats women is repulsive.
Why do I not find reviews talking about how disturbing it is that he... sleeps with and impregnates TWO sisters, aged 12 and 15 when he's like, 25?
He also goes back to these moments in his head quite often throughout the book so it's not like it's a small, missable part.
Give it a miss.
Why do I not find reviews talking about how disturbing it is that he...
He also goes back to these moments in his head quite often throughout the book so it's not like it's a small, missable part.
Give it a miss.
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
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