Get out of prison with Souvenirs on the run

In Souvenirs en cavale, Gildas Chasseboeuf proposes a paradoxical subject: a travel diary on a place where one cannot get out, prison. Step through the doors of the penitentiary to discover the secrets of a little-known place

An inner travel diary

In the preface, Gildas Chasseboeuf describes himself as a free man, a traveler who paradoxically chose prison. Both scriptwriter and cartoonist, he discovered that of the Breton city of Saint-Brieuc in 2015, by leading workshops on memory. The book is the trace of these reintegration actions because Chasseboeuf took this opportunity to collect the words of all those who live in this prison in the form of a travel diary. The author is accustomed to this format: he composed a book of sketches on the rehabilitation of a stationery mill where he linked watercolor and political engagement. He also recounted a trip to an irradiated area in Chernobyl Flowers in 2012.

Openness to a closed world

Published by La Boîte à bulles, Souvenirs en cavale also informs the reader about a world closed to outside eyes. The drive understands how reintegration works. Culture is a way to escape but also to regain confidence. Excursions are possible to facilitate the outing which remains the main objective. Overcrowding in the prison is 230% despite the highest rate of sentence adjustment in the region. The author presents the different roles in a prison. We read the words of prisoners, guards, administration and the prison integration and probation service (SPIP). The various professors referent at the prison tell the story of the course of classes in prison. A French teacher explains the birth of a prison newspaper and the constraints and positive effects of working in detention.

Despite very local examples, most prisoners have a common difficult past: indifferent parents, multiple substance abuse… Alcohol is the cause of most imprisonments which does not help the reputation of Brittany. However, there are also more and more psychiatric cases due to the lack of public investment in asylums.

Poignant testimonies

However, over the pages, we discover eclectic paths. More than a sociological analysis, Souvenirs en cavale offers above all human encounters. The book is a humanistic journey accompanied by very different companions. This brotherhood between those outside and those inside is seen from the author's thanks for the prisoners and staff. The reasons for the imprisonment are never known, but the inmates evoke very personal memories. They are sometimes positive like Bruno talking about his dog and other times darker: Mathieu talks about his addiction to video games. The director of the SPIP returns to his memories of a holiday on the farm.

We feel that the author is not a journalist because he refused the sorting and favors the testimonies at the price of several repetitions. Souvenirs en cavale can be perceived as both a messy and a composite work. The book multiplies the looks. For example, there are three prefaces: that of a Breton writer and then of an author and a prison director. The rest is a kaleidoscope of testimonies and slices of life.

Souvenirs en cavale opens the doors of the cell but also the minds of its occupants. We discover the different professions of this little-known world. However, breaking the many preconceptions about prison, this motionless travel book is above all the portrait of multiple human beings broken by life and seeking to rebuild themselves.

On the site, you can read other columns by the same publisher on the Francophonie and yoga.