Lemony Snicket is the pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler for the children’s book series The Series of Unfortunate Events. Snicket is also a character in the books and has an official website with “facts” about him. Handler used the name before writing the books and decided to use it for the series to experiment with the author-as-character genre. The books have been very successful and Handler has toyed with the concept of Snicket, making him a captivating and memorable fictional character. There is speculation that Snicket may appear again in the future, but Handler’s focus is currently on writing for an older audience.
Lemony Snicket is author Daniel Handler’s pseudonym for the children’s books The Series of Unfortunate Events. As the series progresses through 13 books, Lemony Snicket also emerges as a character in each novel, as the narrator of the trials and tribulations of the three Baudelaire children.
The pseudonym Lemony Snicket actually predates Handler’s authorship of the books. Handler used the name to subscribe to right-wing publications and organizations as part of research for a book he was writing. Handler’s friends liked the name so much that they used it themselves when ordering pizzas.
Because Handler wanted to experiment with children’s literature and the author-as-character genre, he decided to use the name Lemony Snicket for the series. Along with the actual stories are plenty of Lemony Snicket jokes along the way, fleshing out the character of him.
Lemony Snicket’s official website has numerous “facts” about Snicket. These facts include hints of his closest relationship to the Baudelaire children. He claims to be an orphan, one of three siblings, and grew up with a terrible villain.
We also know, as the books progress, that Lemony Snicket was once in love with the mother of the Baudelaire children, prior to her marriage. She was with Beatrice, the children’s mother, before she died and helped her start a fire, so Snicket is also wanted for arson. Each book in the series begins with a dedication to Beatrice, both humorous and somber.
In the final book of The End we also find that Lemony Snicket is the uncle of the child adopted by the Baudelaire children, who is also named Beatrice Baudelaire. A companion book The Letters of Beatrice reveals information about the young Beatrice Baudelaire in a series of letters that she writes to her uncle.
Although the novels in the series are very dark, they won Lemony Snicket and therefore its creator Daniel Handler a lot of popularity. Handler’s books have been second only to the Harry Potter series in children’s book sales. Also, more than any other author with a created character/pseudonym, Handler toyed with this concept. Writing hints and giving fake interviews along the way, Handler made Lemony Snicket a captivating and memorable fictional character.
As the mysteries still remain, there is speculation that Lemony Snicket may appear again at a later date. Beatrice’s letters leave many questions unanswered and perhaps Beatrice Baudelaire could become a character in her own right.
Most suspect Handler may return to Lemony Snicket’s work at some future date. However, Handler has also published several adult novels and his focus at the moment seems to be on writing for an older audience.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
