A Little Life Author Hanya Yanagihara Named New T Magazine Editor in Chief

You'll want to think extra happy thoughts while perusing the fashion spreads of T magazine moving forward: Hanya Yanagihara, author of the saddest book we've ever read, A Little Life, will replace Deborah Needleman as editor in chief of the New York Times style and arts publication.

Yanagihara previously served as an editor at large ar Conde Nast Traveler, and as T's deputy editor from 2015 to 2016.

"This is my dream job, and I am so excited to be working there again, alongside the smartest, chicest, strangest staff in town," Yanagihara shared over Instagram. "They were one of the major reasons I wanted this job, but here's another: In this extraordinary cultural moment, I feel strongly that those of us who have been trained to be journalists should be journalists. In T's case, this means spotlighting the people, places, designs, and art of all mediums and genres that might be seen by some as weird or offputting or unsettling and yet are essential to expanding and challenging our idea of what beauty is."

She continued: "One of the great threats of this age is provinciality, and from its inception, T has fought against inwardness and the typical by celebrating the outer reaches of what the human imagination can conjure. I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue that tradition, and to succeed my friend and former boss, Deborah Needleman, from whom I learned so much, and in whose footsteps I am proud to follow."

A Little Life follows the story of four friends in New York City after graduating together from college in Boston. The book's portrayal of queer relationships is equally heartbreaking and gorgeous, and it was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction.

Check out Hanya Yanagihara's Instagram announcement, below:

I am honored and thrilled to announce that I'll be returning to The New York Times as the new editor in chief of T magazine. This is my dream job, and I am so excited to be working there again, alongside the smartest, chicest, strangest staff in town. They were one of the major reasons I wanted this job, but here's another: In this extraordinary cultural moment, I feel strongly that those of us who have been trained to be journalists should be journalists. In T's case, this means spotlighting the people, places, designs, and art of all mediums and genres that might be seen by some as weird or offputting or unsettling and yet are essential to expanding and challenging our idea of what beauty is. One of the great threats of this age is provinciality, and from its inception, T has fought against inwardness and the typical by celebrating the outer reaches of what the human imagination can conjure. I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue that tradition, and to succeed my friend and former boss, @deborahneedleman, from whom I learned so much, and in whose footsteps I am proud to follow. My first official day in the office is May 16: See you all then. #tmagazine #thenewyorktimes

A post shared by Hanya Yanagihara (@hanyayanagihara) on Apr 4, 2017 at 7:24am PDT