Behrouz Boochani

Behrouz Boochani, photo by Hoda Afshar

Verb Wellington and WORD Christchurch, in association with Amnesty International, present Behrouz Boochani: No Friend but the Mountains.

Boochani’s book, No Friend but the Mountains, laboriously tapped out on a mobile phone at the Manus Island detention centre in Papua New Guinea, and translated from Farsi, is a voice of witness, an act of survival. A lyrical first-hand account. A cry of resistance. A vivid portrait through five years of incarceration and exile.

Boochani and author Lloyd Jones discuss the craft of writing and the extraordinary story of the Australian literary community that rallied around him to secure his freedom. With special thanks to the National Library of New Zealand | Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, and The Park Hotel for their support of this event.