Novels Plot Summary 188: Papillon

"Papillon" by Henri Charriere was first published in 1969. It was first published in French. Papillon is the author's nickname. The name is derived from a butterfly tattoo that the author had inscribed on his chest.

The story tells how Papillon is wrongly convicted and sentenced and then how he escapes from the French penal colony of French Guiana. The story covers the time period of fourteen years, from 1931 to 1945.