WRITER

Henri Charrière

1906 - 1973

Photo of Henri Charrière

Icon of person Henri Charrière

Henri Charrière (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʁi ʃaʁjɛʁ]; 16 November 1906 – 29 July 1973) was a French writer, convicted of murder in 1931 by the French courts and pardoned in 1970. He wrote the novel Papillon, a memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony in French Guiana. While Charrière claimed that Papillon was largely true, modern researchers believe that much of the book’s material came from other inmates, rather than Charrière himself. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Henri Charrière has received more than 3,524,575 page views. His biography is available in 39 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 38 in 2019). Henri Charrière is the 316th most popular writer (up from 362nd in 2019), the 365th most popular biography from France (up from 417th in 2019) and the 59th most popular French Writer.

Henri Charrière is most famous for writing the book Papillon, which is about his life in a penal colony in French Guiana.

Memorability Metrics

  • 3.5M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 69.89

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 39

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 9.39

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.45

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Papillon
1976
Papillon : Nguoi tu kh?o sai =
1980
Papillon : Nguoi tu kh?ô sai =
1980
Banco
Biography & Autobiography
The sensational sequel to 'Papillon'. ‘Banco' continues the adventures of Henri Charriere - nicknamed Papillon - in Venezuela, where he has finally won his freedom after thirteen years of escape and imprisonment. Despite his resolve to become an honest man, Charriere is soon involved in hair-raiding exploits with goldminers, gamblers, bank-robbers and revolutionaries - robbing and being robbed, his lust for life as strong as ever. He also runs night clubs in Caracas until an earthquake ruins him in 1967 - when he decides to write the book that brings his international fame.
19754 / 5
Caliste, Ou Lettres Écrites de Lausanne
2018
Papillon
Biografía, Biography, Colonias penales francesas
Papillon is an autobiographical novel written by Henri Charrière, first published in France on 30 April 1969. Papillon is Charrière's nickname, deriving from a butterfly tattoo inscribed on his chest. The novel details Papillon's incarceration and subsequent escape from the French penal colony of French Guiana, and covers a 14-year period between 1931 and 1945.
1969
Papillon
Prisoners, Personal narratives, Biography: general
1969
Papillon
1970
Papillon
Autobiographical fiction, Prison life in fiction
1969
Banco
Language readers, Prisoners, Personal narratives
1972

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Henri Charrière ranks 316 out of 7,302. Before him are Ernst Jünger, C. S. Lewis, Gao Xingjian, Roger Martin du Gard, Gertrude Stein, and Guillaume de Machaut. After him are Ludovico Ariosto, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Michael Ende, Czesław Miłosz, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and Archilochus.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1906, Henri Charrière ranks 21. Before him are Josephine Baker, Hassan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Sergei Korolev, Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and Billy Wilder. After him are Hans Bethe, Roberto Rossellini, Ernst Ruska, Emmanuel Levinas, Ilse Koch, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Among people deceased in 1973, Henri Charrière ranks 21. Before him are J. Hans D. Jensen, Ivan Konev, Ludwig von Mises, John Ford, Paavo Nurmi, and Pearl S. Buck. After him are Max Horkheimer, Pablo Casals, Víctor Jara, Ferdinand Schörner, Charles Greeley Abbot, and Gabriel Marcel.

Others Born in 1906

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Others Deceased in 1973

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In France

Among people born in France, Henri Charrière ranks 365 out of 6,770. Before him are Adolphe Thiers (1797), Jean Renoir (1894), Roger Martin du Gard (1881), Joseph Marie Jacquard (1752), Jean Buridan (1295), and Guillaume de Machaut (1300). After him are Pope Nicholas II (990), Philip the Bold (1342), Jean Baudrillard (1929), Nicolas Appert (1749), Alain Prost (1955), and Charles, Count of Valois (1270).

Others born in France

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Among WRITERS In France

Among writers born in France, Henri Charrière ranks 59. Before him are Pierre Beaumarchais (1732), Chrétien de Troyes (1135), Antonin Artaud (1896), Françoise Sagan (1935), Roger Martin du Gard (1881), and Guillaume de Machaut (1300). After him are Ève Curie (1904), André Malraux (1901), Théophile Gautier (1811), Paul Éluard (1895), Alphonse de Lamartine (1790), and Arthur de Gobineau (1816).

French born Writers

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