It kinda drags too much for me. It has its interesting moments though. But in the end, I didn't care much.

مشکله کتاب و آقای هانری شاریر در حجم انبوه اغراقی هست که نویسنده در مورد شخصیت و توانایی های خود می گه .
در حالی که شاید سابقه زیادی در هدایت قایق نداره نه تنها مثله ملوانی حرفه ای هست بلکه این توانایی رو هم داره که با نگاه کردن به ستارگان آسمان مسیر یابی کنه
نویسنده تا جایی که تونسته از نقشه ما بقی زندانیها کم کرده و به مایه خود اضافه کرده . عملا تا جایی که به غیر از خود که نقشه راهنمای عده ای نابینا رو بازی می کنه ، بقیه به منزله صفر هستن و فقط دنباله روی جناب پاپیون
چون معمولا کتاب پاپیون با فیلمش مقایسه میشه به نظرم فیلم دارای اثرگذاری بیشتری هست

I had read this many years ago, and of course I've seen the movie more than once. I mean the classic one with Steve McQueen (sigh) as Papillon. So I knew the story but while I was living in Mexico I found the sequel at a used book table at one of the regular book fairs in the main plaza in town.

I never knew there was a sequel so I got it but promised myself to read this first. It had been a very long time since I read Papillon and some of it I didn't remember at all. But I enjoyed the book and rooted for Papi every time he made an escape attempt.

However, I did get a little tired this time of the way he presented himself as knowing everything about everything, being smarter and tougher then anyone else in any prison, but at the same time being an honorable man. Maybe he was really was all of that, but by the end I was rolling my eyes a bit, and I just wanted him to get to that last big escape attempt and be done with it. This is why I changed my original four stars to three. I think I was influenced to four stars by the image of Steve McQueen (sigh) in my head the whole time I was reading.

Oh, Papillon was called that because of a butterfly tattoo that he said he had at the base of his neck. But he also had plenty of other tattoos:
"On the right side of my chest I had a guard from Calvi; on the left, the head of a woman; just above the waist a tiger's head; on my spine, a crucified sailor, and across the kidneys, a tiger hunt with hunters, palm trees, elephants and tigers."

(I looked up to see what the 'guard from Calvi' might have been: the coat of arms from the Calvi region of Corsica. A red cross on a white shield.)

In reading a bit more about the author, I saw that the educated opinion these days is that most of the book was fiction, a compilation of experiences that Papillon heard from other prisoners, not events he had gone through himself. I will let those educated people worry about that. The story itself is good, and sometimes that is all that matters.

"Live, live, live. Each time I was tempted to despair, I would repeat three times: 'As long as there's life, there's hope'. "

It is 1931, and 25-year-old Henri ‘Papillon’ Charrière is convicted of murder. His sentence: life imprisonment in the infamous penal colonies of French Guiana. Papillon is innocent of the crime for which he has been condemned and he leaves France with a burning desire to escape and revenge himself upon those responsible for this miscarriage of justice.

The novel is semi-fictional, with even the author later admitting the autobiographical narrative to be ‘only 75% true’. The book certainly stretches the truth at times but there's also a brutal honesty about the narrative. Papillon is certainly no angel and however much he embellished the details, Charrière certainly did experience the inhuman conditions of the penal colonies and made a successful break for freedom which took some fourteen years to achieve. You have to admire his tenacity if nothing else.

"As I saw how the past faded away, growing less important in comparison with everyday life, it seemed to me that once you got to the penal settlement you must almost forget what you have been, how or why you had landed up there, and concentrate upon one thing alone – escape. I was wrong, because the most important and most engrossing thing is above all to keep yourself alive."

Unfortunately whilst the bones of an incredible story are there some wild flights of fantasy seriously undermines the readers' credulity at times. Some of the author’s purported adventures and escape attempts are likely to be based on stories Charrière heard from other prisoners, however, if the story is simply taken at face value, it's an inspirational struggle for freedom, human resilience and unlikely heroism. This is particularly true during the first half of the novel but the later chapters becomes less gripping and it begins to feel a little repetitive.

The book also contains a litany of casually racist, misogynistic and homophobic remarks which for today's readers will be difficult to overlook. Even if he was not an actual murderer, Charrière openly admits to having had sexual relations with a fifteen-year-old, a brief career as a pimp, and carried out a host of thefts, lies and acts of casual violence. Yet he clearly wants the reader to believe that he was essentially a good guy at heart, he is simply a by-product of a society that is at fault and that all criminals can turn themselves into model citizens if they are only given a chance. This is fanciful at best.

"No nation has the right to revenge itself or rush to eliminate people just because they cause society anxiety. They should be healed instead of given such inhuman punishment."

'Papillon' was a runaway success when it was published in 1969 and its easy to see why. If we are willing to but aside the fact that the book is supposedly auto-biographical and treat it as fiction it's a searing indictment of the pointless cruelty of lifelong incarceration and a rollocking boy's own adventure story.

It's been a while since I cried "uncle" but today I had to do it again. In the past several years I have suffered through William Gibson's Spook Country AND - yes, I believe I may be a glutton for punishment - Zero History (a novel about...jeans?). I did my best to stay awake through Kazuo Ishiguro's galactically dull Never Let Me Go (but please, I do so want to let you go). I forced my way through The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (next time, YOU take it). Waded through Wicked, clumped through The Client, I even managed not to "put down" The Horse Whisperer (Get it? "Horse"..."put down"...? OK, I apologize for that one). It was over 10 years ago that I last gave up on a book, and I think it was Evan S Connell's Son of the Morning Star which was actually very well researched but just so disorganized that I couldn't get through it. And now I have to dump Papillon by Henri Charriere, a grand exaggeration (according to online accounts including wikipedia) of a wildly egotistical, "wrongly convicted" French guy who escapes prison several times using money that he has hidden from guards (think: Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction, although I realize that Papillon came first), in order to one day write a meandering memoir full of his bafflingly bloated tall tales which would be made into a movie starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. I understand that, as the story proceeds, Papillon finds ways to celebrate life as he endures various miseries. After suffering through about 100 pages I suddenly realized: I AM PAPILLON, and I am imprisoned in this book, and I need to escape! So there it goes, into the DNF pile, along with Shackelton's South, and Scottoline's Moment of Truth and Crichton's Electronic Life. I leave you with these words of wisdom: "It's as easy as that to drop the chains you've been dragging...'From this moment on you're free.'" - Papillon.

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 وتقصيه من الحياة لأجل هفوة واحدة أو مال أو منفعة شخصية

ملحمة بابليون
هي قصة حقيقية حدثت لمؤلفها مع بعض الرتوش الخيالية
بابليون هو اسم رمزي كان يدعى به المؤلف "هنري" نسبة إلى فراشة كانت موشومة على صدره، هذا إن عرفنا أن بابليون تعني بالفرنسية "فراشة"

هذه الرواية أو الأوتوغرافيا يجب أن تقرأ
عظيمة جداً
والترجمة لا مثيل لها

Mi-a luat ceva timp să intru în atmosfera cărții - primele 100 de pagini m-au plictisit și am fost foarte aproape de a abandona cartea. Însă, pornind de la un eveniment, cartea capătă contur, peripețiile protagonistului devin interesante și mă bucur că nu am renunțat la Papillon.
Recenzia, aici.

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 are perfectly good stories that would go down a lot smoother were they not presented as fact.

I would like to re-read this book soon knowing what I know now, and just accept the story as a communal history of the penal colony prisoners, with Papi as the proxy for several inmates' experiences.

خوانش: 1400.12.21
4 ستاره

در اینکه واقعیت‌های این کتاب دچار بزرگنمایی و همچنین تحریف‌های ناخواسته‌ی ذهنی -که طبیعی هم هست- شده هیچ شکی نیست ولی این کتاب خواست آزادی رو در ذهن خواننده ورز می‌ده.
و نکته‌ی مهم اینکه فیلم پاپیون با بازی استیو مک‌کوئین و داستین هافمن اقتباسی درجه‌یک از این کتابه و از اندک فیلم‌هاییه که از خود کتاب سرتره.
با خوندن این کتاب ترغیب شدم فیلم پاپیون 2017 رو هم ببینم چون ممکنه اقتباس متفاوت‌نری از فیلم قدیمی باشه.

I read this book in the mid 70's, as a teenager. Then I read it again. And then, a little while later, I saw the film. The three events have subsequently blended into one, and I certainly now have difficulty differentiating the book from the film. But that's no big deal as I know the film followed the written narrative pretty closely. It's a true story of one man's battle against injustice and the terrible personal consequences that transpired.

It left a big impression on me. It was a big story. A huge adventure which I believed in entirely, though I now know some doubt has subsequently been levelled at the detail. It was also the largest book I'd taken on at this point - by far. Not only did it convince me of the power of a story, it also demonstrated to me that I could be transfixed by a tome so large it seemed impossible it would hold my interest long enough for me to finish it. When I look back to early 'adult' books I've read it's this one that stands out - read as I laid on my bed with a Rod Stewart cassette (Atlantic Crossing) playing in the background.

When the film was released, I know I doubted it could match the power of the book, but in my memory, it came close. I loved Hoffman and McQueen in the lead roles, and the scenes of solitary confinement seemed a perfect reflection of what I'd conjured up in my mind.

I'm not sure if I'll ever re-visit this tale of a Frenchman shipped off to a prison in French Guiana for a crime he claimed he didn't commit, as I wouldn't want to be disappointed by a second re-read. I think I'll just continue to treasure the untainted memory of my first memorable reading experience.

تصف هذه الملحمة الإنسانية قصة رجل كافح بأشد مايمكن لهذه الكلمة من معنى ليصنع حريته الخاصة غصباً عن الشرطة والقانون والمجتمع بأسره!
هنري شاريير رجلٌ حُكم عليه بالسجن بسبب جريمة لم يرتكبها “ على حسب قوله”، وأرسل إلى جزيرة غويان الفرنسية “ ثلاث جزر صغيرة مخصصة حصراً لتكون سجناً” . في البداية لم أفهم الأمر، كيف لمجرم أثبت القانون إجرامه أن يسهب في وصف الحياة الشريفة ويصر وبشكل عجيب على تطبيق العدل وإحقاق الحق؟! كيف لرجل وضع تحت اسمه عبارة “ خطر جداً” أن يتحدث وبحماسة شديدة عن الشرف وكلمة الرجال وإسداء الجميل؟
هنري أنت مجرم، الشرطة اكتشفت ذلك والقانون صدقه، لقد نبذك المجتمع، نبذتك دولتك، بل ونبذتك الحضارة بأسرها! لكن لا، هذه ليست الحقيقة المطلقة، فلا شرطة ولا هيئة محلفين تستطيع أن تختبر المعدن الحقيقي للرجال، سواء كانوا مذنبين أم لا..

الرواية تحكي قصة حقيقية، قصة أغرب من الخيال نفسه، قصة تجرد وحشية بعض البشر وتضعها تحت مسائلة العامةالذين لم يكونوا يعرفوا بوجودها من قبل، أو تغاضوا عنها طويلاً.

مشكلتي هُنا أني لا أعرف ماذا أقول! أأحكي قصص الهروب التسعة التي نجح ثلاث منها فقط؟
أأحكي قوة صبر وجلد بابي في تحمل كُل هذه الإنكسارات واحداً بعد الآخر لإيمانه الصلب بسمو روحه البشرية وتساويها مع غيرها من البشر؟
أم أتكلم عن الرسالة الموضحة بتكرار واضح وصريح وباين للعنان، بأن العنصرية التي سلطناها سيفاً مصوباً على رقابنا ليست إلا نذير موت نبشر أنفسنا به رعباً ؟

“”
ماذا تعني الحضارة أيها المدير؟ هل تعتقد لأننا نملك مصاعد كهربائية وطيارات وقطارات تحت الأرض، هل في هذا برهان على أن الفرنسيين هم أكثر حضارة من أناس استقبلونا وبذلوا لنا العناية؟ في رأيي المتواضع أن الحضارة الإنسانية هي بمقدار السمو الروحي وفهم كل مخلوق في هذا المجتمع الذي يعيش في سذاجة في هذه الطبيعة ولو لم يستكمل - وهذه حقيقة- أسباب الحضارة الصناعية وحسناتها، فإذا لم تتوفر لهم منجزات التقدم لم يحرموا من عاطفة محبة الله المسيحية التي هي أسمى من كل ادعاءات الحضارات في العالم. فأنا أفضل أن أكون أمياً في هذه الضيعة على المجاز في الأداب من السوربون في باريس الذي تقمص يوماً ما روح المدعي العام وحكم علي. فالأول هو دوماً الإنسان، والآخر نسي أنه إنسان. “”






ملاحظة جانبية:
لطالما شق علي التحدث عن الكتب التي تعجبني جداً وتجعلني مبهورة، هذه الرواية ليست قصة حقيقية فحسب، إنها ملحمة بطلها شخص واحد وثقته المطلقة بإنسانيته السامية القابلة للإصلاح والتعديل.

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