Henri Sharyer - writer and adventurer

Convicted of a murder he did not commit, the Marshal, nicknamed the Moth, was sent to a colony in French Guiana. Forty-two days after his arrival, he made his first escape. Having overcome thousands of debilitating miles in an open boat, the fugitive was still caught and placed in a prison cell. Unshackled Henri Sharyer did not abandon attempts to regain his freedom, and his ninth flight was crowned with success. After many years he wrote an autobiographical book, which quickly became a bestseller, and eventually even was filmed.

Childhood and youth

In the city of Saint-Etienne-de-Lugdare (Department of Ardeche, France) in the family of the teachers of Joseph Sharyer and Maria-Louise Thierry, on November 16, 1906, Henri's son was born. The third child and the only boy in the family, he, despite his absurd nature, grew up as a favorite of parents and sisters. In his teens, Henri Sharyer became the ringleader of local tomboy 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 grow up quickly and take responsibility for the mother and sisters.

Rebellious youth

At the end of the war, the father returned and, despite the wounding of the breadwinner, the family had a hope that everything would be as before, but fate decreed otherwise. In 1917, her mother died, and the whole family was mourning. The young Henri Sharrière was particularly affected by the loss: he closed himself, became aggressive, bitchy and spent days on the street in the company of local hooligans. Joseph Sharyer, wishing to wrest his son from a bad company, sends him to the boarding house "Cross", located in the department of Drôme. But very soon the aggressive behavior of Henry 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 17-year-old Henri to sign a contract with the French Navy.

Henri Mothlet

After entering the military service, the young man leaves for Toulon. However, in the service of Sharier does not differ exemplary behavior and very soon finds himself in Corsica in the disciplinary regiment. In the company of the same rebels, inclined to neglect the law, the young Sharyer feels understood. For ease in communication and the ability to rush to the desired, like a butterfly to the fire, friends made him a tattoo in the form of a moth on his chest. So he got his nickname Henri Charrier. Moth was his 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 big sport. Since in school days, and then during the service in the Navy, he decently played rugby. But to pass the selection in the team of professionals he was prevented by a negative track record. Frustrated Henri Sharyer sent to Paris, where due to his adventurous inclinations becomes a significant figure in the criminal world. He leads a stormy and cheerful way of life, knows no shortage of money and female attention. Everything changed in 1930, when Shari'er was dragged into history with the murder of pimp Roland Legrand. Despite the absence of witnesses and evidence of guilt, the young man was convicted on 28 October 1931 for murder. Sentenced to life imprisonment, was sent to the prison camp of French Guiana Henri Sharyer. His biography in the future seemed completely bleak, but he did not intend to put up with such a state of affairs.

The long road to freedom

His first attempt to escape from the prison of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, Sharrière took on September 5, 1934. In an open boat, Henri covered two and a half thousand kilometers by sea, but despite a lot of effort, he was captured. In punishment he was placed in a punishment cell. In Guyana, Henri Charrier (Moth) spent eleven long years, of which he spent two years in solitary confinement. During his imprisonment, he tried to escape nine times. Sharyer's efforts were crowned with success in 1941 on the Devil's Island, when with the help of two sacks of coconuts he managed to swim away from the prison. However, after arriving in Venezuela after many adventures, experienced during the months of wandering, he again fell into the hands of the police and stayed in the local prison for another year. After the liberation, Shari'er decided to stay in Venezuela, got married and took up the honest business of the restaurateur. He returned to his homeland at an advanced age after the publication of his book.

Henri Sharierre: books

All attempts to regain freedom, the adventures that had to be experienced during the wanderings, including life in the Indian tribe of Colombia, Sharriere described in the autobiographical book "Moth". The novel was published in 1969 and immediately became popular with readers, and in 1973 it was filmed, and the Moth "also won the hearts of the audience. In the seventies, Sharyer wrote another autobiographical book called "Va-Bank."

The writer died on 29 July 1973 in Madrid from cancer. In occasion of truthfulness of the information stated in his works, disputes continue to go. Some researchers of the facts from Sharyer's life believe that much of what was described in the book did not happen to him and is merely a retelling of the adventures experienced by other prisoners. In any case, the books turned out to be interesting and deserve the reader's attention.