Apeirogon

Bassam recalls his hunger strike in prison, occasioned by an additional two months added to his sentence without reason. He tried to keep moving; he drank water and an occasional salt tablet. He had no access to television or radio; he just paced in his cell. He took time to roll his cigarettes and smoke them. He recited songs over and over in his head. By the ninth day the hunger pains began. He slept more and paced less. The strike prompted a meeting with the warden, where each man wanted the other to give in to his demands. Bassam furtively stole a wrapped candy off the warden’s desk. Back in his cell he contemplated breaking his hunger strike for it. Eventually he slipped it in his mouth. Four days later, Bassam was told the added two months to his sentence would be removed.

In the second half of the 20th century, psychiatrists documented a rise in acute psychotic decompensation—delusions and episodes caused by proximity to holy places—in Jerusalem. Sufferers often felt they were a religious figure like Paul, Mary, Jesus, or Moses. The disorder was known to dissipate as soon as one left the city.