Convicted of a murder he did not commit, Charlier, nicknamed Moth, was sent to a colony in French Guiana. Forty-two days after arrival, he made his first escape. Overcoming thousands of grueling miles in an open boat, the fugitive was still caught and placed in a prison cell. The unbroken Henri Charrier did not abandon the attempt to regain freedom, and his ninth flight was crowned with success. Many years later, he wrote an autobiographical book, which quickly became a bestseller, and over time it was even filmed.
Childhood and youth
In the city of Saint-Étienne-de-Lugdare (Department of Ardèche, France) in the family of teachers Joseph Charlier and Marie-Louise Thierry November 16, 1906 the son of Henri was born. The third child and only boy in the family, he, despite the absurd character, grew up a favorite of parents and sisters. As a teenager, Henri Charlier became the ringleader of local tomboys and a headache for merchants. Everything changed the First World War, when in 1914 his father was drafted into the army. The boy had to quickly grow up and take responsibility for his mother and sisters.
Rebellious youth
At the end of the war, his father returned and, despite the wounding of the breadwinner, the family had the hope that everything would be as before, but fate decreed otherwise. In 1917, the mother died, and the whole family fell into mourning. The young Henri Charlier suffered the loss especially strongly: he became isolated, became aggressive, quarrelsome and spent days on the street in the company of local hooligans. Joseph Charlier, wanting to wrest his son from a bad company, sends him to the Krest Guesthouse, located in the Drome department. But very soon, Henry's aggressive behavior leads to a fight with one of the students, the consequence of which is a serious injury to the latter. To avoid criminal prosecution, the father forces seventeen-year-old Henri to sign a contract with the French Navy.
Henri Moth
After entering the military service, the young man goes to Toulon. However, in the service of Charlier, he is not distinguished by exemplary behavior and very soon finds himself in Corsica in a disciplinary regiment. In the company of the same rebels who tend to neglect the law, the young Charrier feels understood. For ease of communication and the ability to race to the desired, like a butterfly to the fire, friends made him a tattoo in the form of a moth on his chest. So got his nickname Henri Charlier. The moth became its symbol and the name of the future autobiographical book.
Sentence
At the end of military service in 1927, Henry decided to try his luck in sports. Since back in school years, and then during his service in the Navy, he decently played rugby. But a negative track record prevented him from being selected for the team of professionals. Upset Henri Charrier goes to Paris, where, thanks to his adventurous inclinations, he becomes a significant figure in the criminal world. He leads a stormy and cheerful lifestyle, does not know the lack of money and female attention. Everything changed in 1930, when the Charrier is drawn into the story of the murder of pimp Roland Legrand. Despite the lack of witnesses and evidence of guilt, the young man was convicted of murder on October 28, 1931. Sentenced to life imprisonment, he was sent to a prison camp in French Guiana, Henri Charlier. In the future, his biography seemed completely bleak, but Moth did not intend to put up with this state of things.
The long road to freedom
The first attempt to escape from the prison of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni Charière was on September 5, 1934. In an open boat, Henry overcame two and a half thousand kilometers by sea, but despite a lot of effort, was captured. In punishment, he was placed in a punishment cell. In Guiana, Henri Charlier (Moth) spent eleven long years, of which he spent two years in solitary confinement. During his imprisonment, he tried to escape nine times. Charlier's efforts were successful in 1941 on Devil's Island, when with the help of two bags of coconuts he managed to swim away from the prison. However, having arrived in Venezuela after many adventures experienced during the months of wandering, he again fell into the hands of the police and spent another year in a local prison. After his release, Charlier decided to stay in Venezuela, got married and went into the honest business of a restaurateur. He returned to his homeland at an advanced age after the publication of his book.
Henri Charlier: books
All attempts to regain freedom, adventures that had to endure during the period of wandering, including life in the Indian tribe of Colombia, Charlier described in the autobiographical book "Moth". The novel was published in 1969 and immediately gained popularity among readers, and in 1973 it was filmed, and Moth also won the hearts of the audience. In the seventies, Charlier wrote another autobiographical book called All-In.
The writer died on July 29, 1973 in Madrid from cancer. As for the veracity of the information set forth in his works, disputes continue to go on. Some scholars of facts from the life of the Charrier believe that much of what was described in the book did not happen to him and is only a retelling of the adventures experienced by other prisoners. In any case, the books turned out to be interesting and deserve the attention of the reader.