Issue No. 10

Former Pulp frontman JARVIS COCKER is a voracious bookworm and an ideal addition to the Happy Reader pantheon. In this winter issue he discusses his reading habits and literary foibles with the great poet SIMON ARMITAGE. Accompanied by glorious photographs by ALASDAIR McLELLAN, the chat covers everything from the stories of Carson McCullers to the dreams of Carl Jung.

In part two, a pretend-perfect society is ruthlessly satirised in YEVGENY ZAMYATIN’s early sci-fi novel WE. The book inspires an interview with MARIA ALYOKHINA from dissident punk band PUSSY RIOT plus writings on state-controlled love lives, patriotic poetry, weather manipulation and cosmic links between Russia and California, with contributors including WILL SELF, NICHOLAS LEZARD, RICHARD GODWIN and HARRIET ALIDA LYE.

CONTENTS

PART 1

A shot of bookish surrealism, a buffet of winter news and a leisurely literary odyssey with JARVIS COCKER.

Give and get

Snippets

The Interview: JARVIS COCKER by Simon Armitage — Between Paris and London with the beloved Pulp alumnus

Jarvis Cocker in bed

 

PART 2

The Book of the Season is Yevgeny Zamyatin’s WE, with totalitarian sex, nationalist verse, the battle against clouds and the race to upload oneself.

Introduction: Whipped into happiness by Seb Emina

Poetry: Rhyme without reason by Nicholas Lezard — Does anyone read state-sponsored poetry?

Future: Russia will save us all by Richard Godwin — From eerie Russian Cosmism to creepy Californian optimism

Laundry: As good as new by Aaron Ayscough — Stain removal in the capital of fashion

Anti-uniformity

Russia: Riot in the library by Emily King — A call with Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina

We tree by Travis Elborough — Perfect societies just won’t go away

Meteorology: War on the weather by Harriet Alida Lye — Shooting at clouds is quite lucrative

Cooking: Bread is great

It’s sex o’clock by Will Self — Making love right on the dot

Letters

Read this book