The Happy Reader, Issue 11 – Olly Alexander

The Happy Reader is a new magazine published by Penguin Classics in collaboration with the creators of the award-winning Fantastic Man. For avid readers and the uninitiated alike, it is a chance to reengage with classic literature and to stay inspired and entertained.

The concept of the magazine is excitingly simple: the first half is a long-form interview with a notable book fanatic and the second half explores one Penguin Classics title from an array of surprising and invigorating angles, through fashion, art, lifestyle, history, film and more.

The Happy Reader never patronizes, nor does it seek to baffle its audience with literary name-dropping or pedantry, wearing its bookish curiosity with a playful lightness of touch, delighting in the potential for whimsy and humour.

The magazine is centred on the concept of ‘precious print’, as embodied by Penguin Classics and Fantastic Man. It explores the myriad advantages of the printed word and image: beautiful typography, high dwell time, the matte charm of ink on paper, the calming luxury of being ‘offline’. The magazine is a design object in and of itself.

Part two of Issue 11 strives to unlock the meaning of THE BLACK TULIP, an unputdownable novel set in the Dutch Golden Age. Dumas’ book has contributors asking questions like, ‘why do people join angry mobs?’, ‘why is my neighbour so friendly to my boyfriend?’, ‘why are there fleas on my bulb?’ and ‘why is China so excited about racing pigeons?’ With DEBORAH LEVY, RICHARD BENSON, CHARLIE CONNELLY and NEAL FOX.