Who is Lemony Snicket?

Just who is Lemony Snicket, billed as the author of the A Series of Unfortunate Events series for 8-12 year olds? Is he a real person? The actual author of the wildly popular series of children’s books is Daniel Handler. Since A Series of Unfortunate Events is written in the first person, Snicket is the eccentric persona who seems to have been developed by Handler to reflect the narrator’s personality.

Daniel Handler and Lemony Snicket

In an October 13, 2003 story by Heidi Benson of The San Francisco Chronicle, the reporter revealed that,

Handler, 33, is funny and erudite without being snooty. He's a Lowell High graduate who double-majored in English and American Studies at Wesleyan University…When not portraying Snicket, Handler writes novels under his own name, and he has just completed his third literary novel, Adverbs.

For more about Lemony Snicket, see the amusing Bookwrap videos and check out the official Lemony Snicket Web site. Snicket’s checkered past is revealed in all of his tongue-in-check biographies. He is eloquent in encouraging children not to read his books, warning them that,

As a dedicated author who has pledged to keep recording the depressing story of the Baudelaires, I must continue to delve deep into the cavernous depths of the orphans' lives. You, on the other hand, may delve into some happier book in order to keep your eyes and your spirits from being dampened.

While Daniel Handler is doing more and more interviews about A series of Unfortunate Events, for the most part, Lemony Snicket gets all of the publicity for the series on his Web site. The only reference on Lemony Snicket’s Web site to Daniel Handler’s role is the comment that, “Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler.”

The Popularity of A Series of Unfortunate Events

Happily, the fact that the books are full of dark humor and unfortunate events seems to be what has made them so popular with young readers. Their immense popularity has also resulted in a movie based on the first three books of the series. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events opened in late 2004 to excellent reviews and strong ticket sales.

The first book in the series The Bad Beginning became an immediate favorite of 8-12 year olds, and with the publication of each succeeding book in the series, kids' enthusiasm grew. Now, according to an October 11, 2006 USA Today article, "The Dickensian series about the misadventures of three smart, resourceful but unlucky orphans is a publishing phenomenon. More than 51 million copies in 41 languages have been sold."

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Books

Friday the thirteenth, October 13, 2006, was selected as an appropriate release date for the thirteen and final book in the series. The books, in order are:

1. The Bad Beginning
2. The Reptile Room
3. The Wide Window
4. The Miserable Mill
5. The Austere Academy
6. The Ersatz Elevator
7. The Vile Village
8. The Hostile Hospital
9. The Carnivorous Carnival
10. The Slippery Slope
11. The Grim Grotto
12. The Penultimate Peril
13. The End

Other Books Related to A Series of Unfortunate Events

If your kids crave even more books related to the series, there are several available. The A Series of Unfortunate Events activity book, The Puzzling Puzzles, was published early in 2006. According to Lemony Snicket, "In this short digest alone, I have collected such instructive diversions as a do-it-yourself blindfold, a coded message, a crossword puzzle, and a monkey fist -- enough to fill up several years of your life."

In September 2006, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Beatrice Letters was published. The book delves into some of the mysteries involving A Series of Unfortunate Events and Lemony Snicket.

How Do You Feel About A Series of Unfortunate Events?

What do you and your kids think about Lemony Snicket, his popular series, and the movie? Join the discussion on the About Children’s Books Forum.