It seems that every book I've read and written about has been related to jail or imprisonment. This story reminds me a lot about A place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca. They both spent a major part of their sentences in solitary confinement, they were both convicted for crimes hey didn't commit, while in solitary they both "traveled beyond the walls" through their imaginations and memories.
Henri Charriere a.k.a. Papillon who wrote the book based on his own stories of time spent in the bagne. The bagne was what they called the hard labor camps operated by the French on French Guyana during the 1930's. It is said that this story wasn't all his first hand account. It has been said that he pieced together stories told by other inmates. Nonetheless, it is a truly inspiring account of a mans lifelong struggle to be free. He was never meant to be there. He attempted escape a total of 9 times over a period of 10 years.
He maintained his innocence from day one. He was framed for the killing of a pimp in Paris. He felt that his lawyer was inexperienced and that he was not given a fair chance. He is sentenced to life and hard labor. After arriving in Guyana he quickly starts planning an escape. He intends to escape, return to France, and murder the judge, the prosecutor and the jurors that convicted him. Before being sent to the labor camp he manages to be sent to a hospital were is escapes from. His initial escape unleashes a chain of events that takes him on the adventure of a lifetime and would subsequently force him to escape from several other prisons in different jurisdictions.
He and his companions find themselves in a leper colony. The locals are very friendly and helpful. Prior to arriving there they where being helped by some freed convicts, but they were left to fend for themselves. After leaving the leper colony they made there way to Curacao, and later Colombia. While in Colombia, Papillon lives with an Indigenous tribe. He went on to marry 2 or their women. Still intent on revenge, after 2 years in relative freedom, he decides to continue his quest to return to France.
He soon ends up in a Colombian prison, from which he also escapes. Along the way he meets many people that help him, including some wardens and their families. After 8 failed escape attempts he ends up back on an Island, from which escape is impossible. Of course with a will like his, nothing is impossible. He studies the current for months and times it and realizes that there is a moment where the current pushes out instead of in. Any other time the current will crash into rocks and destroy anything in it's wake.
He makes a raft out of hollow coconuts. When the day comes, he and a friend each ride a raft out into the open ocean. They eventually make it to the shores of Venezuela. His friend soon dies from falling into a pit of quicksand. Papillon makes it into the brush and find a contact. This contact, who is the brother of an inmate on the island is to help him find a boat and make it out to the open ocean and then France. They plan for months, buy a boat and sail off. Before they can make it out, they end up being taken in by the Venezuelan navy.
He finds himself back behind bars. Except this time he did not commit a crime. After a few months he is giving his freedom and given Venezuelan citizenship. About 20 years after he finally escapes, he decides to write a manuscript about his adventure. It is said that book is based on what he wrote word for word. It is also said that the French government assumed that he drowned in the ocean. He was well into his 60's when the book was published. Later on a movie was produced which starred Steve McQueen as Papillon.
Having seen the film years back and finally reading the book, I was confused. I don't remember the movie being as detailed as the book. I was enthralled. Even though I knew he would eventually escape, I didn't want to put the book down. I was determined to find out what happened next and how it actually ends. I was enamored with his determination. In the book they refer to escape as cavale. I began to relate to his struggle for freedom. I felt like I wanted to have my own adventure of escape. Except not from prison but from normal life. I wanted to cavale from my mundane existence. In the end I had great time reading and living each moment along the way, even if it was just in my mind.
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