Le Tigre blanc

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The adventure novel Les Robinsons de la Guyane by Louis Boussenard , published in 1882, consists of three volumes: Le Tigre blanc , Le Secret de l'or and Les Mystères de la forêt vierge . In The White Tiger , the first part of the three volumes, Boussenard describes the struggle for survival of the French Robinson family in Guiana in both an exciting and technically detailed manner.

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The action begins abruptly with a thunderstorm in the middle of the jungle of French Guiana, in the valley of the mighty Maroni River. In the course of this natural spectacle, a guard in the penal colony of Saint-Laurent makes a fatal discovery during roll call: Charles Robinson, political prisoner and head of the Robinsons family, has escaped from the prison camp. "Robin" was a distinguished engineer in France who ran an important manufacture in Paris, but was arrested in December 1851 for participating in a coup and shipped to a penal colony in Guiana. This 35-year-old "man of politics" is characterized above all by his high moral standards, such as compassion and helpfulness, as well as by an extraordinarily good physical condition.

The first chapters mainly describe his adventurous and rousing escape into the seemingly endless jungle of Guayana, during which he has to defy the constant dangers of the wilderness - such as dangerous animals, the fight against hunger or tropical diseases - as well as the tireless ones Trying to escape from persecutors in some almost hopeless situations, which like bloodthirsty dogs seek his death. After a few days of fleeing, he discovered, as if by chance, a small clearing with a hut and many cultivated plants. There he meets his future friend and companion Casimir, a leper who is no longer needed as a slave due to his illness and has been cast out by the whites. His black skin is disfigured by numerous ulcers, which makes him look very scary at first. However, this is offset by his great mercy. He also has a wealth of experience, including a. on medical issues to survive in the wild. Robin and Casimir become friends quickly, which means that Casimir doesn't leave his side anymore and wants to help and accompany him on his escape. They decide to move as far away from the penal colony of Saint-Laurent as possible and to flee on the Maroni in a self-made boat.

At the same time, Robin's family in Paris tried everything to obtain a pardon, which, however, was no longer possible due to his escape. His wife is an energetic, loving and at the same time energetic woman who has to look after her four children alone in Paris. A businessman with good connections to French Guiana, who wants to help the torn family and tells them about Robin's escape, is able to leave France and take them to Guiana by ship. It is only by chance that the family meets the fleeing Robin and his loyal companion Casimir. When the mother and her protégés are stopping by boat along the Maronis on a small island in the river, a spectacular and at the same time surprising situation occurs: at precisely this moment, Robin and Casimir flee by boat from their closely advanced pursuers in the direction the small island where the family is resting. When they arrived there under massive fire, the persecuted noticed their luck and took the entire family on board in order to flee further as quickly as possible. However, they soon left the pursuers behind because of the experienced rowing skills of a Boni (a black native Guiana who had accompanied the family to the small island).

Now it was time to defy the lurking dangers of Guyana: Satisfying hunger, hunting for animals and finding food, the intoxicating and deadly vapors of the swamp, setting up sleeping camps, a number of dangerous animals at sea and on land and other dangers. After a few days, another lucky coincidence occurs: The now united group discovers a clearing on a small hill. This was evidently already inhabited and protected from enemies by its optimal location. The family decides to live there. After the first initial difficulties, the small group builds up their new life here bit by bit: a dwelling is built, an enclosure for animals is constructed, supplies are purchased and dangerous animals are defied. Again and again they discover new amazing things that the jungle and a life in the wilderness produce: from unusual animals to strange but useful plants, to the changeable weather conditions of the tropical climate. In summary, this novel represents a successful synthesis between an exciting adventure novel à la Jules Verne and a fascinating depiction of the Guyanese world, from numerous exotic plants to unusual animals and breathtaking landscape descriptions.

Translations into German

The White Tiger was translated into German in 2012 in collective translation as part of a literary studies seminar at the University of Regensburg. It is the first German translation of a work by Louis Boussenard. The title of the book is The Robinsons of French Guiana. The White Tiger and it appears in the Ablit Verlag as the fourth volume in the AVVENTURA MEDITERRANEA series.

See also

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