Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Papillon #2

Ва-Банк

Rate this book
В романе «Ва-банк» приключения и злоключения Анри Шарьера по прозвищу Мотылек набирают новые обороты. В Венесуэле он наконец-то обретает долгожданную свободу после того, как сбежал из тюрьмы и тринадцать лет скитался, скрываясь от правосудия. Несмотря на все попытки стать честным человеком, Чарли оказывается втянут в ужасную аферу с золотоискателями, шулерами, грабителями банков и революционерами. Он грабит сам, другие грабят его, но, что бы ни происходили Мотылек жаждет нормальной жизни больше, чем когда-либо. Он открывает собственный ночной клуб в Каракасе, но землетрясение 1967 года в прямом смысле разрушает его бизнес. И тогда Анри Шарьеру не остается ничего, к

527 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1972

135 people are currently reading
3557 people want to read

About the author

Henri Charrière

23 books855 followers
Henri Charrière was a convicted murderer chiefly known as the author of Papillon, a hugely successful memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a penal colony on French Guiana.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,104 (26%)
4 stars
1,625 (38%)
3 stars
1,224 (28%)
2 stars
233 (5%)
1 star
49 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
Profile Image for Luke Marsden.
Author 4 books33 followers
January 11, 2015
This book is for anybody who craves more Papillon - if it left you dying to know what happened to Charrière afterwards, then here it is! This lesser-known sequel follows his subsequent life as a free man in Venezuela, a country he describes with great affection. Having got to know him in the first book, it is fascinating to follow the life choices he makes with his long-desired and hard-fought freedom.

As would be expected, his thirst for adventure and his desire to make up for the youth he has largely lost to the penal system will not let him keep his feet in one place for long. He gravitates naturally to that murky limbo between a legitimate existence and the underworld, lives by his wits and takes wins and losses, successes and failures in his stride with equal measure. He seems as much at home in diamond mines in the remote jungle, sprawling concrete cities, and the fishing villages of the Caribbean coast. He matures with each new venture, as though his youth was merely delayed, not altogether lost. As in Papillon, everything is recounted in Charrière’s clear, honest written voice.

If you have not read Papillon, read it before reading this book.

Luke F. D. Marsden (Author of Wondering, the Way is Made)
Profile Image for Dmitry Berkut.
Author 5 books221 followers
March 30, 2024
Having read Papillon, I was eager to learn more about what happened next. I sought out real facts and, of course, read Banco: The Further Adventures of Papillon. As a writer, I was particularly interested in how the book was created and its incredible journey to publication in another country. Although some of the drawn-out parts, the "adventures for the sake of adventures," could have been condensed. Here, there's no longer the burning gaze and passion characteristic of Papillon.
In summary, I would say that the story of Papillon's publication was equally fascinating to me as the novel itself, and they should always be published together, in one volume.
Profile Image for Andrei Tamaş.
448 reviews373 followers
March 4, 2023
Charriere e un veritabil gambler, un jucător de primă mâna.
Totuși, Banco e scrisă forțat și nu se ridică la valoarea Papillon-ului.
Profile Image for Esmanur.
36 reviews
December 19, 2014
İlk kitaptan sonra "daha yazılabilecek ne kaldı ki?" diye sordum kendime. Kitaba beklentimi çok düşük tutarak başladım ama çok yanılmışım. En az ilk kitabı kadar harika, serüven dolu ve doyurucuydu. Henri Charriére nin zekasına hayran olmamak imkansız. Bu kitap bir adamın tekrar hayata tutunmasını belkide yeniden doğuşunu ve aslında onun ne kadar derin bir kişilik olduğunu daha iyi anlatıyor. ilk kitap - KELEBEK- bana göre daha yüzeyseldi. Henri benim için zor yıllar geçiren, dahi kaçış planları yapan intikam hırsıyla dolu ve birazda bencil bir kişilikti. Tabi kitap yinede MÜKEMMELDİ. Ama BANKO da sevgisinin sınırı olmayan, dürüst, yaptığı gençlik hatalarının ve verdiği zararın farkında olan, kararlı, ne istediğini bilen ve bunun için mücadele eden çok daha içsel biriydi. Sonlara doğru gençliğine dair anlattığı bölümler çok hoştu. KELEBEK ve BANKO benim kitaplığımda her zaman gözde kitaplarım olacaklar. Kitap hiç bir eleştiriyi hak etmiyor. Ancak saatlerce övebilirim yinede bütün kelimeler yetersiz kalır. İlk kitabın yorumunda yaptığım gibi Kitaptan çok sevdiğim bir paragrafı paylaşarak yorumumu bitireceğim.


-" Ne sen, insanlıkla ilgisi bulunmayan savcı, ne namusundan şüphe ettiğim siz polisler, ne yalancı tanıklıkla özgürlüğümü değiş-tokuş eden sefil Polein, ne iddie makamının görünüşü ve olayları yorumlayış şeklini benimseyecek kadar alçalan jüri üyeleri, 'insan yiyen'e layık ortaklar olan mubassırlar,kimse,hiçbiriniz ne kalın duvarlar ne de Atlantik üzerindeki bu yitik adanın uzaklığı,maddi ve manevi hiçbir şey, yıldızlara doğru yükseldiğimde yolculuğumun pembeyle renklenen mutluluğunu bozabilir."

-" On üç yıldan beri öç almayı kurduğumu biliyorsunuz. Bu on üç yılı yüz altmış beş günle sonra yirmi dört saatle ve her saati altmış dakikayla çarpın, yine de çektiğim acıları ödetmek için kaç kere kendi kendime ant içtiğimi bulamazsınız."


-BANKO
Profile Image for KOMET.
1,258 reviews143 followers
August 26, 2010
"BANCO" takes up from where "PAPILLON" left off. The author has escaped into Venezuela. He is deeply embittered and finds it difficult at first to readjust to life on the outside. He is set on revenge for he feels that he was framed for a crime he did not commit. As a way of working out his anger, the author becomes involved in an elaborate plan to stage a big robbery so that he can not only enrich himself, but also return to Europe and exact his revenge. While set on his plans for revenge, however, the author finds love and peace of mind.

"BANCO" stands out as a fine example of what a person is capable of achieving in terms of self-improvement and spiritual renewal. When I finished reading this book, I felt very happy for the author, who had learned to cast aside the anger and rage he had bottled up inside himself during his imprisonment on Devil's Island, and find an inner peace for himself.

Profile Image for Debbie Zapata.
1,980 reviews59 followers
Read
February 9, 2020
I finally found my edition of this book in the database today. I was too tired to go searching for it the day I marked it as 'currently reading'.

And now I have to mark it as finished, or rather DNF due to the fact that the poor thing fell apart after I got just a few pages into the first chapter.

I bought the book at a used book table during one of the regular book fairs in the plaza when I was living in Mexico. I knew it was somewhat brittle but I had never tried reading it, since I wanted to re-read Papillon first.

So when I finished that book the other day, I got this one and my Spanish-English dictionary (this edition is in Spanish) and rejoined Papi just as he became a resident of Venezuela. And that was pretty much that. The book sort of exploded into pieces. I thought I was being careful, but old paperbacks are old paperbacks, no getting around that.

I will put Banco on my Someday List. I'm sure I can get a copy at my favorite online used bookseller.

RIP Banco, hope to see you again someday.
Profile Image for Onur.
347 reviews20 followers
September 7, 2020
Henry inizia a vivere a Callao in Venezuela con il suo storpio amico Picalino dopo la sua condanna. Lui non colpevole. La sua condanna e passata 13 anni e adesso lui inizia a vivere come libero. All'inizio, lui conosce con Maria e la sua famiglia, loro lo molto aiutano. Nel questo periodo, lui vuole a guadagnare soldi perché lui vuole a vendetta dalle tutte le persone per sua condanna. Lui gioca d'azzardo e prova a guadagnare soldi con i diamanti ma non riesce. Poi inizia a pensare per andare a Caracas, città capitale di Venezuela. Quando arriva a Caracas, lui lascia Picolina al ospedale. Di nuovo gli inizia a provare per trovare i soldi. Lui prova a rubare una banca con sua amici, unirà un golpe militare, poi in ordine, lavora nell'albergo, lavora come cuoco e poi lavora con i geologi. Da questo punto, sua vita inizia a cambiare quando lui conosce con Rita suo amore grande. Loro amministra una albergo insieme. Quindi lui inizia vita regolare con Rita. Nell quel tempo, anche situazione di politica Venezuela e confusa. Dopo albergo, loro acquista un bar e un ristorante. Henry vuole incontrare sua famiglia dopo 26 anni e lo riesce. Il suo processo e chiusa ufficiale e poi decida che andare a Parigi in France. Lui informa che il suo padre e morto, lui e triste. Dopo lui va a Parigi per incontrare la sua famiglia dopo 26 anni. Lui va Israele per vedere madre di Rita, poi torna a Caracas di nuovo e decida che scrivere un libro secondo il sua vita. Quando finisce il suo libro lui contatta con diversi casa editrici, alle fine lui trova buono casa editrici e va a Parigi. Alle fine, suo libro raggiunga a succedere e grande finale alle fine a libro.
Profile Image for Gary.
300 reviews63 followers
September 22, 2017
Henri Charriere (aka Papillon): convicted of a murder he didn't commit in 1931 and sentanced to life in penal servitude, including Devil's Island, narrated his horrendous experiences and subsequent escape in Papillon, his first book.

Banco is part 2 of his autobiography and it is hard to believe that one man can have such a rich, dangerous, exciting, thrilling and ultimately fulfilling life, especially after his earlier adventures.

This book is just as readable, exciting, engrossing and unputdownable as Papillon. Charriere writes in a simple, from-the-heart style that is highly expressive of all his thoughts and feelings of anger, frustration, hopes, dreams and passionate hatred of those that manufactured his conviction. The latter includes his intention to return one day to France and kill those who 'sent him down' - and he describes how he might do it.

I won't say too much about his life, other than one example: he gets involved in trying to relieve a community of very tough miners of their diamonds and gold through a gambling scam, in a tiny town in the Venezuelan rainforest where there is no law to speak of - just like the Wild West but in South America. You'll have to read it to find out the result!

I loved this book, which I first read as a teenager and should read every now and then to remind me that no matter what the obstacles, you must keep struggling and fighting to make a life, at which Monsieur Charriere succeeded admirably.
Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jerome Peterson.
Author 4 books54 followers
May 21, 2011
Papillion was an excellent movie, but the book was even better! I found the sequel, "The Further Adventures of Papillion" at a local thrift store. It cost a quarter. I can get into Henri Charriere's writing style. It flows easily from one scene to another as though he was sitting with you at a sidewalk French cafe, with an open tab. "Banco", the actually title of the book, picks up where "Papillion"left off. The story starts off in a Venezuelan penal settlement, El Dorado. Here Papillion's adventures continue as he struggles to clear his name and become a French citizen as he once was. The stories are close to being unbelievable; yet, true stories of escape from a Venezuelan prison, his con-game schemes, his brush with revolution, his near-miss bank robbery, his womanizing, his successful attempts at owning and running a business. If you enjoyed "Papillion" you will definitely enjoy "Banco".It is a must read for adventure readers. It is an ashamed that Charriere didn't write more works for his narrative is powerful and his storytelling is compelling!
Profile Image for Manea Ionut.
250 reviews29 followers
May 24, 2019
Papillon (fluture) era porecla de hoț a lui Henri Charrière în anii ’30 în Paris. Pseudonim sub care rămâne în istorie prin romanul în care își povestește o mare parte din viață. Papillon a fost condamnat pe nedrept pentru o crimă pe care nu a comis-o (a proxenetului Roland Legrand), la închisoare pe viață într-una dintre cele mai rele închisori ale vremii.

„Faptul că-mi pregătesc evadarea îmi ridică formidabil moralul. Mănânc mai mult decât oricând şi datorită pescuitului sunt în mare formă. Afară de asta, în fiecare dimineaţă, la stânci, fac peste două ore de gimnastică. Îmi exersez în special picioarele, căci braţele sunt bine puse la punct cu pescuitul.” (Papillon, Henri Charrière)

Deși veridicitatea poveștii sale a fost deseori contestată, Charrière a susținut toată viața că o mare parte din ceea ce a scris a și trăit.

„Trebuie să demonstrez că pot fi, că sunt și că voi fi un om normal. Poate nu mai bun, dar, în mod sigur, nu mai rău decât restul.” (Papillon, Henri Charrière)

Cu toate relele tratamente de la puscarie,el nu isi pierde speranta ca intr-o zi va fi liber si incearca sa evadeze.Dar,de fiecare data este prins si sfarseste in alta puscarie.
Mai multe nu va spun.Descoperiti singuri palpitantele aventuri ale lui Papillon.
Profile Image for Cisz Geverink - Strasters.
939 reviews36 followers
June 4, 2016
Van de eerste helft heb ik net zoveel genoten als van het eerste deel: Papillon. Maar daarna was het voor mij klaar. Nadat hij samen met Rita is, zijn de avonturen en kwajongens verhalen klaar, en dat is juist de kracht voor mij van zijn verhaal. Uiteraard heb ik genoten van het weerzien met zijn familie, maar betrapte mezelf erop dat ik stukken begon over te slaan. Jammer. Desalniettemin een geweldig levensverhaal van een bijzondere man!
Profile Image for Margaret.
102 reviews
February 2, 2009
I was so excited when I found he continued his memoirs. This volume is more farcical and adventurous, but after suffering through his time in the French prison, the author and I both needed some lighthearted fun!
Profile Image for Rosa Chacón García.
483 reviews21 followers
November 21, 2017
Buenísimo se queda corto. De esos libros que empiezas y no puedes parar hasta acabas.
Qué capacidad tiene este hombre de adaptarse a todo lo que le viene y no desfallecer jamás.
Profile Image for Daniel.
209 reviews7 followers
July 30, 2021
Not as good and interesting as Papillon, but Charriere sure could write. 2.5 stars
Profile Image for Kat.
25 reviews1 follower
January 13, 2022
Sadly no more further adventures of Riri/ Papillon/Enrique/ Henri.
Profile Image for Raquel.
Author 3 books9 followers
August 9, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge
21# A book set in a different country - Banco, Henri Charrière

Banco é a continuação da história autobiográfica de Charrière após quatorze anos de luta pela liberdade. O relato começa imediatamente onde ficámos em Papillon, ou seja, após Henri ter conquistado a sua liberdade na Venezuela. No entanto, cumprir a sua promessa de levar uma vida honesta e, ao mesmo tempo, juntar dinheiro suficiente para se vingar daqueles que, em Paris, o injustamente condenaram à prisão para o resto da vida, são dois objetivos que dificilmente se conjugam.
Em Banco, temos um relato das várias aventuras de Papillon, desde perigosos embustes no jogo de dados a assaltos falhados. A sorte parece não estar do seu lado e conseguir dinheiro suficiente para voltar a França resulta ser uma tarefa impossível depois de todas a partidas que o destino lhe prega. Henri não estava fadado a conseguir a sua vingança, mas a sua vida foi rica e cheia de aventuras que deram gosto ler. Apesar de Banco não me ter apelado tanto como Papillon, não pude não ler esta continuação. Depois de Papillon, o leitor fica com aquela curiosidade de saber o que aconteceu a seguir, aquele desejo de alcançar um conclusão definitiva, e Banco dá-nos isso quando, quase quarenta anos depois, Henri regressa a Paris e percebe finalmente que a sua melhor vingança foi ter contrariado os desejos daqueles que o prenderam, foi ter escapado e vivido uma vida mais completa e feliz do que qualquer um deles.
Profile Image for Alex Akesson.
41 reviews27 followers
September 12, 2012
"Only one thing really matters in life and that is never to admit you're beaten and to start up again after every flop." Henri Charrière (Banco - The further adventures of Papillon)
Profile Image for Moonlight.
131 reviews4 followers
February 23, 2018

Уж не знаю , что там написано в книге «мотылёк»(Автобиографический роман Анри Шарьера "Мотылек" стал бестселлером сразу после его публикации. ), но продолжение «ва-банк» показалось мне настолько пустым и скучным, что весь рассказ меня посещали мысли, а было ли это вообще правдой. Вроде и написано со слов автора , о его жизни, а ощущение , что все это не было прожито , читаешь грустные строки и ужасающие факты , мозгом понимаешь , на сколько это все ужасно, а сердце не плачет и не сопереживает. Слишком сыро, слишком «обрубленные» истории , слишком большие прыжки переходящие в другие истории..... вообщем -никак....
I do not know what is written there in the book "papillon" (Autobiographical novel by Henri Sharjer "papillon" became a bestseller immediately after its publication.), But the continuation of "all-in" seemed to me so empty and boring that the whole story was visited by thoughts, but was it really the truth. It seems to be written from the words of the author, about his life, but the feeling that all this was not lived, read sad lines and horrifying facts, you understand with your brain how terrible all this is, and your heart does not cry and does not empathize. Too damp, too "chopped off" stories, too big jumps taking place in other stories ..... in general, left me empty ...
Profile Image for Tom Schulte.
3,426 reviews78 followers
October 29, 2018
Quote a fascinating life from escape into Venezuela to final peace with his past. Along the way, we get a first-hand account of not only his personal adventures and capers, but a window in Venezuela at a time of boom and then revolution. A lengthy chapter near the end recounts in detail the murder case that led to the imprisonment recounted in Papillon. This is a rollicking, exciting adventure autobiography.
Profile Image for Randi Linnea.
1 review1 follower
July 31, 2023
Ikke like god som 1., men fantastisk, nesten like fantastisk!
Profile Image for Delia.
124 reviews39 followers
April 10, 2024
Fast paced, captivating, excellent. I've read a Romanian translation and really enjoyed it. A great conclusion to Papillon, the great adventure.
40 reviews
July 13, 2025
nicht so gut wie der Vorgänger, trotzdem tolles Buch
Profile Image for Mark.
252 reviews15 followers
October 13, 2019
Nowhere near the original. Not even remotely.

No heroic tense escapes. No exiting and heart touching experiences.

Just a lazy criminals seeking to make quick money most of the time to complete his revenge plan in France...
Shame, had high hopes for this one. :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for امیرمحمد حیدری.
Author 1 book73 followers
February 13, 2022
مِن‌جمله کتاب‌هایی که خواندنشان ارزش زندگی را متبادر می‌کند. فرم کتاب، کاملاً با اقتباس‌های سینمایی فرق داشت و دقیقا به‌بهترین شکل به بیان داستان پرداخته بود. داستانی که همیشه جذاب و ملموس است.
49 reviews
February 6, 2018
Banco. the continuation of Papillon's journey talks about his time in Venezuela and the way he lived a free life. I would be lying if I said that the book is as engrossing as its predecessor. Especially after the time he met Rita, the book flagged to become another story of love and life. Though we can't argue it, since it was his own life. Somehow, it gets replenished with new life when he talks about his return to France and ends commandingly, with the chapter about his trial. A 3.5 star would be apt, well I'll round it off to 4 for the man and his story. An absolutely wonderful set of books, a must read for any adventure lover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Özge Kotan.
19 reviews7 followers
April 10, 2019
Kelebek'i okurkenki heyecanı (doğal olarak) vermedi ama sonrasında bu adam ne yapmış diye merak ediyorsanız okuyun derim.
Profile Image for Marco Beneventi.
323 reviews8 followers
September 14, 2021
In questo romanzo ritroviamo Papillon dove l'avevamo lasciato nel precedente libro omonimo.
Finalmente libero, dopo la detenzione nel carcere dell'El Dorado, ma col desiderio di tornare a Parigi per vendicarsi su chi ingiustamente l'aveva accusato e spedito in carcere, inizierà una nuova vita (onesta) in Venezuela fra biscazieri, cercatori di diamanti, geologi e indio, sino a giungere, nel suo continuo peregrinare, a Caracas dove incontrerà l'amore della sua vita, Rita Alcover, che oltre a fargli cambiare idea sulla voglia di vendetta, gli farà amare di nuovo la vita e lo spronerà nello scrivere la sua storia.

"Banco", pubblicato nel 1972 come seguito di "Papillon" a sua volta pubblicato nel '69, è un romanzo autobiografico in cui Charrière racconta della sua vita dopo la fuga dalla Caienna e la detenzione nel carcere dell'El Dorado.
Il romanzo, suddiviso in ventidue capitoli, si offre al lettore in modo molto semplice, dal tono colloquiale e fluido ma incisivo.
Gli aneddoti non mancheranno e la storia manterrà sempre un ritmo sostenuto ma piacevole da seguire, ritmo che avrà una piccola flessione negli ultimi capitoli senza comunque inficiare sulla totalità del racconto.
Un romanzo autobiografico non certo breve ma piacevole da affrontare e assolutamente imprescindibile, per "chiudere il cerchio", per chi ha già affrontato "Papillon".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.