Book Review: Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One
Book Review: Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One Astra Magazine, Ecstasy: Issue One is a stunning debut issue of a new international literary magazine. Editor Nadja Spiegelman has assembled a diverse and dazzling lineup of writers from around the world, all exploring the theme of ecstasy in its many forms. The issue opens with a short story by Mieko Kawakami, "The Girl with the Bird Heart." It is a surreal and haunting tale of a young woman who discovers that she has a bird heart, and the ways in which this sets her apart from the world around her. Next comes a poem by Fernanda Melchor, "Ecstasy." It is a visceral and powerful exploration of the ways in which ecstasy can be both liberating and destructive. Catherine Lacey's short story, "The Body," is a darkly comic look at the ways in which we relate to our bodies and to each other. It is also a meditation on the nature of desire and the pursuit of pleasure. Leslie Jamison's essay, ...