THE RE IN REFUGE

In this essay collection, Kalfopoulou explores the notion of refuge in all its varied facets.

“Embedded in the word refugee is refuge,” the author notes in the opening lines of one of this anthology’s 14 pieces, adding that refuges consist of “the familiar and tangible, until these locations are also (dis)placed.” In this genre-defying book, the author—a poet, essayist, and educator based in Athens, Greece—blends memoir, verse, literary criticism, and biting social commentary in essays that are united in their exploration of the human quest for a safe haven. This includes the safety of romantic relationships, but the collection is at its best when applying the notion to contemporary geopolitics—particularly Europe’s increasingly draconian policies toward refugees over the last decade and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The opening poem, “In shā Allāh,” for example, centers stories of Middle Eastern people facing the perils of Europe’s closed borders, from unscrupulous smugglers who “smell profit at the port” to unsafe boats “sunk with people who sold everything for some luck.” Many essays connect autobiographical vignettes to world events, including one that tells of how refugees have reshaped the author’s home city of Athens. She also grapples with the dichotomy of teaching the “freedom” of creative writing to students living during unprecedented global upheaval. Other essays explore aspects of Kalfopoulou’s visits to the United States, from a discussion of police brutality with a friend in Los Angeles (where the “the assumptions of white supremacy [are] still supremely assumed”) to an encounter with religion-based antigay bigotry in North Carolina. A photographic essay, “The Parts Don’t Add Up, an assemblage,” suggests that the concept of refuge doesn’t just relate to a physical home, but also to a place where one can safely cling to one’s culture. The rest of the book is also peppered with full-color photographs, mostly by the author, which interrupt the text in a manner that makes for a poignant, if sometimes-fragmented, read. Overall, it’s a distinctly literary work replete with searing indictments of the West, accompanied by multiple pages of scholarly references.

A poignant and profoundly relevant examination of society’s safe places.