In 2018, Kurdish-Iranian journalist and writer Behrouz Boochani published 'No Friend But the Mountains,' a memoir written while he was detained on Manus Island, an Australian-run offshore detention center. He composed the book by sending thousands of text messages over a mobile phone to a translator in Australia, overcoming the restrictions of his confinement. The book recounts the systematic abuse, violence, and mental anguish suffered by refugees in indefinite detention. It won several prestigious literary awards and brought global attention to the plight of asylum seekers.

Boochani's work represents a landmark in the 21st-century genre of prison literature, showcasing how modern technology can circumvent physical isolation to create art. The book's fragmented, poetic structure mirrors the trauma of detention and offers a powerful testimony against state-sanctioned cruelty. It has had a significant impact on Australian literature and political discourse, and serves as an inspiration for writers who find themselves in similar dire circumstances, showing that survival and art are intertwined .