Behrouz Boochani’s

No Friend But the Mountains

No Friend But the Mountains is certainly not fiction, despite what I’m sure many in the government might want us to believe. Its subtitle, Writings From Manus Prison, tells you much of what you need to know about this book and its contents. Its cover features the unrelenting gaze of Behrouz Boochani; his eyes perhaps searching, perhaps accusing.

Behrouz Boochani is a Kurdish poet and philosopher. His writing was an important view into Australia’s refugee incarceration system. Behrouz was able to escape his incarceration but many refugees remain detained by the Australian government. If you are an Australian citizen they are doing this in our name and to our shame.

The story is straightforward and is well known. Behrouz arrived by boat, via Indonesia having fled Iran. He, amongst many others, was taken to Christmas Island and were then imprisoned on Manus Island. The story may be straightforward, but it is by no means simple as Behrouz explores the situation of detention, the debasement of bodies and minds as part of indefinite imprisonment.

The book is not just a recount of the events of Behrouz’ journey to Manus prison (and a quick note that throughout the boom Behrouz refers to his location as Manus prison and I continue that convention through our chat). His journey and subsequent transfer to Manus occupy the initial stages of the book, before he is imprisoned on Manus and the story shifts to delve into the effect of imprisonment and its toll on not only those inside the prison, but the native Papuans working at the prison and the Australian’s employed as guards, medical staff and officials.

This interview is from 2018 and was conducted via WhatsApp while Behrouz was still incarcerated in Manus Prison.