To celebrate Ray Bradbury’s 90th birthday we are reprinting “The Happiness Machine”, a story that was printed in his 1957 novel Dandelion Wine. This tale of discovery follows a determined man’s quest to produce happiness. He ends up finding sorrow until he realizes what real happiness is.
Well crafted, this story is a treat to any reader.
Read “The Happiness Machine” by Ray Bradbury.
I quit reading after it was obvious this is not a story but a joke of some weird kind. I refuse to let a writer torture me by withholding information that should be revealed at the beginning — not the end. Obviously, the SEP editors hand out free passes for an author with a name — certainly not for any literary quality. The sidebar, The Perfect Squelch, is just plain silly, too. The SEP is beating a dead horse with some of this ancient content, which may have been at the top of the heap decades ago, but let’s face reality, it ain’t classic stuff. Commission some new writers who know something about entertainment. That said, I’ve read many excellent stories in the SEP, such as Paul Gallico’s, The Snow Goose, but quality fiction in the SEP archives is rare. One final note about reader comments. I’ll continue to return in hopes of finding quality fiction, but if this comment is deleted, I’ll know the editors are cherry picking opinion not just to avoid criticism but also to hijack free speech.
Not only do I love this story, but hanging on your first floor is the large watercolor original by Fritz Willis who did the illustration for this story when it was first printed many years ago in The Saturday Evening Post, it is also pictured in my book BRADBURY: AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE, by William Morrow.
Thanks again for posting another great vintage Ray Bradbury story. Please post more. And Happy Birthday to Ray Bradbury!
I thought, “The Happiness Machine” was creative, inventive, funny and meaningful.
hello dead guy are you still alive?
