English language
Published May 18, 1970
Papillon (French: [papijɔ̃], lit. "butterfly") is a fantastical novel written by Henri Charrière, first published in France on 30 April 1969. Papillon is Charrière's nickname. The novel details Papillon's purported incarceration and subsequent escape from the French penal colony of French Guiana, and covers a 14-year period between 1931 and 1945.