Fugitive Atlas by Khaled Mattawa
Rating 4/5 Stars
Published by Graywolf Press
Published On 20th October 2020

Thank you to Netgalley, Graywolf Press, and of course, Khaled Mattawa, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fugitive Atlas is a beautifully devastating account of the current refugee crisis, military occupations, and havoc being wrecked across the globe. The poems describe lives, dreams, and families - the everyday folks that are at the center of these uneven grounds. It discusses how the globe shapes us as humans and what we can take to become better people. It also covers what we inherit from our ancestors and how we live and love in a world so unpredictable. At its core, the transnational identity is investigated, and truly gets the reader to question - what does it mean to belong in these times?

This collection of poems is BEAUTIFUL. I actually found myself having to take breaks from the book, hence why my review took so long. Each poem is magnificent and needs to be understood in its own time. The poems are authentic and powerful and I believe this is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the everyday deals of someone in the unpredictable.

Thank you to Graywolf Press and Netgalley for the Reader's Copy!

Now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indie Bookstore.

Spanning time and land, Mattawa's Fugitive Atlas takes on a transcontinental identity much like the author himself. With a blend of long and short form poetry, Mattawa's eclectic collection takes a modern spin on contemporary and 20th century poetry in memorable, innovative ways. The jump between the present and past lends itself to capturing the complex experiences of a transnational, translational and boundless existence, and perhaps lays a blueprint for the world that we can strive to create.

Outstanding. Particularly engaging were the “‘alams”. And let’s not forget the stunning cover art. Manages a perfect combination of artistry and real life.

A beautiful, wide sweeping poetry collection. I appreciated the variety of formats that the poetry comes in, breathing life into the poet's words.

A great voice to add to a library poetry collection. This collection offers a mix of poetry and prose poetry, but the pieces do not always seem to be as cohesive as some collections can feel. Perhaps that is the point of the collection- a sense of standing on shaky ground,

Magnificent poems on displacement from a poet of immense ability. Truly riveting and important collection that warrants a look from any serious reader of poetry.