Papillion is the greatest true story of escape and adventure ever written. Condemned for a murder he had not committed, Henri Charrier (nicknamed Papillion) was sent to the penal colony of French Guinea. Forty - two days after his arrival he made his first break, travelling a thousand grueling miles in an open boat.

Recaptured, he was sent to Devil's Island, a hell-hole of disease and brutality. No one had ever escaped from this notorious prison - no one until Papillon took to the shark - infested sea supported only by a makeshift coconut -sack raft. In thirteen years he made nine daring escapades, living through many fantastic adventures while on the run –

 including a sojourn with South American Indians whose women Papillon found welcomingly free of European restraint. Papillon is filled with tension, adventure and high excitement. It is also one of the most vivid stories of human endurance ever written

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