Ten years ago this month, Hanya Yanagihara threw a wrench in the literary world with the publication of her Dickensian doorstop, A Little Life. Featuring four queer men growing up and together in New York high society—and also, many grim depictions of child abuse and ultra-violence—the unexpected mega-hit spawned adaptations, flocks of fans, and arguments galore.
Depending on who you ask, the novel is an unapologetic melodrama, an unflinching look at the hurt that can’t be processed, a metaphoric take on queer pain, or a brutal harbinger of the trauma plot. It’s magnificent, ambitious, and/or disturbingly voyeuristic. It’s a National Book Award and Booker Prize finalist, or “an unlikely beach read with a gothic riptide.”
In 2023, the novel received the West End treatment in a buzzy production directed by the Belgian auteur Ivo van Hove. And to mark the anniversary, Matt Bomer is releasing a new recording of the audiobook. But today brings news of another birthday present.
Yanagihara recently announced on Instagram that this October, Vintage Books will reissue the bestseller in a “stunning collector’s edition box set.” The new printing will feature original cover art by eight artists: the painters Salman Toor, RF Alvarez, Chantal Joffe, Linus Borgo, Navot Miller, TM Davy, and Wangari Mathenge, and the mixed media stylist Wardell Milan.
When commissioning, Yanagihara gave the artists a simple instruction: “… that the work had to be figurative and in color…otherwise, it was up to them.”
In addition to lush renderings of our heroes—JB, Malcolm, Willem, and the long-suffering Jude—the box set will include a new afterword and Q&A by the author Neel Mukherjee.
But of critical interest for new fans? This edition splices the epic into four slimmer volumes. I envy the next generation, who can carry this book on commutes without inviting some physical pain of their own.
Happy birthday, fellas. And good grief from all of us.
