Editing Lemony Snicket

{{short description|Pen name and fictional character}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox character
| series = [[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]
| image = [[File:Patrick Warburton as Lemony Snicket.png]]<br /><br />[[File:Lemony snicket signature.svg|frameless|upright=0.72]]
| caption = [[Patrick Warburton]] as Lemony Snicket and his signature from the books
| first = ''[[The Bad Beginning]]''
| creator = [[Daniel Handler]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Biographer
* researcher
* theater critic
* [[rhetoric|rhetor]]
* [[convict]]
* writer
}}
| family = Jacques Snicket (brother)<br />Kit Snicket (sister)<br />Beatrice Baudelaire II (niece)
| portrayer = [[Patrick Warburton]] (TV series)
| voice = [[Tim Curry]] (video game, audiobook narrator)<br>[[Jude Law]] (film)<br>[[Daniel Handler]] (photography, audiobook narrator)
}}
'''Lemony Snicket''' is the [[pen name]] of American author [[Daniel Handler]] and a fictional character of his creation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/postmodernism-for-kids/381739/ |title=The Postmodern Brilliance of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" |last=Cruz |first=Lenika |date=October 23, 2014 |magazine=The Atlantic |access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Daniel-Handler |title=Daniel Handler |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> Handler has published various children's books under the name,<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/1019/Who-Could-That-Be-at-This-Hour-Lemony-Snicket-s-new-book-discusses-his-childhood |title='Who Could That Be at This Hour?': Lemony Snicket's new book discusses his childhood |date=October 19, 2012 |newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor |access-date=March 18, 2020 |issn=0882-7729}}</ref> including ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]'', which has sold over 60 million copies and spawned a [[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events|2004 film]] and [[Netflix]] [[A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)|TV series from 2017 to 2019]] of the same name. Lemony Snicket also serves as the in-universe author who investigates and re-tells the story of the Baudelaire orphans in A Series of Unfortunate Events.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Eloise |first=Marianne |date=October 3, 2019 |title=Wicked wonder: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events at 20 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/03/lemony-snicket-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-at-20 |access-date=March 18, 2020 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> 

Snicket is also the subject of a fictional autobiography titled ''[[Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/06/07/lemony-snicket-unauthorized-autobiography/ |title=Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> Further telling of Snicket's adventures can be found in the four-part children's series ''[[All the Wrong Questions]]'', as well as a pamphlet titled ''[[13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket]]'' (released in promotion of ''[[The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events)|The End]])''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Beckett |first=Sandra L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=82eRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA159 |title=Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives |date=November 24, 2010 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-86130-8|pages=156}}</ref> Other works by Snicket include ''The Baby in the Manger'', ''[[The Composer Is Dead]]'', ''[[Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid]]'', ''[[The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming]]'', ''[[The Lump of Coal]]'', and ''[[13 Words]].''

In the 2004 film, Lemony Snicket is voiced by [[Jude Law]] while James Henderson plays him physically,<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/patrick-warburton-star-as-lemony-875207 |title=Patrick Warburton to Star as Lemony Snicket in Netflix Drama |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=March 14, 2016 |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> who documents the events of the film on a [[typewriter]] from inside a [[clock tower]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/lemony-snickets-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-pg-25595.html |title=Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (PG) |date=December 19, 2004 |newspaper=The Independent |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> In the [[Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (video game)|video game]] based on the film, his voice is provided by [[Tim Curry]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events |website=IGN |date=November 16, 2004 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/11/16/lemony-snickets-a-series-of-unfortunate-events-3 |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> In the Netflix series, Snicket is interpreted as a mysterious and [[Narration#Omniscient or limited|omniscient narrator]] chronicling the events of the Baudelaire children, and is portrayed by [[Patrick Warburton]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/television/2017/01/11/fortunately-netflix-lemony-snicket-hoot/foOYBAyR7YK6xgp9ZMGA1M/story.html |title=Fortunately, Netflix's 'Lemony Snicket' is a hoot |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=January 11, 2017 |access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

==Characterization==
{{In-universe|section|date=April 2020}}
Within ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'', the narrator Lemony Snicket is given his own backstory. He is said to have come from a family of three children. His brother Jacques (who was murdered in ''[[The Vile Village]]'') and sister Kit were [[Volunteer Fire Department (A Series Of Unfortunate Events)|V.F.D.]] members and friends of the Baudelaire parents. Both Jacques and Kit appear as supporting characters in the books. He also knew [[Count Olaf]] in his early life, as the two attended school together. As a child, he was kidnapped and inducted as a "[[wikt:neophyte#Noun|neophyte]]" into V.F.D., where he was trained in [[rhetoric]] and sent on seemingly pointless missions, while all connections were severed from his former life, apart from his siblings Jacques and Kit (who were also kidnapped and inducted). Consequently, Snicket attended a V.F.D.-run boarding school in his youth with several other characters from the series. He received later tuition at a V.F.D. headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains and was employed by a newspaper called ''The Daily Punctilio'' after graduation as an [[obituary]] spell-checker and theater critic.

As a character, Snicket is a harried, troubled writer and photographer who is [[False accusation|falsely accused]] of various felonies and continuously hunted by the police and his enemies, the fire-starting side of the secret organization V.F.D. (Volunteer Fire Department). In the organization, he met and fell in love with an associate named [[Beatrice Baudelaire|Beatrice]], to whom he got engaged. He was falsely accused of murder and arson. Eventually, the fallacies grew so much that ''The Daily Punctilio'' reported his death. Beatrice later moved on and married [[Bertrand Baudelaire]], becoming the mother of [[Violet Baudelaire|Violet]], [[Klaus Baudelaire|Klaus]], and [[Sunny Baudelaire]], the protagonists of ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''. Fourteen years thereafter, Beatrice and Bertrand were supposedly murdered in a house fire, leaving the Baudelaire children orphaned and then pursued by Snicket's former associate, [[Count Olaf]]. Snicket feels indebted to his former fiancée and embarks on a quest to chronicle the lives of the Baudelaire children until they become old enough to face the troubles of the world on their own.{{quote box|A library is like an island in the middle of a vast sea of ignorance, particularly if the library is very tall and the surrounding area has been flooded.|– Lemony Snicket
| width = 300px
}}
Lemony Snicket has charged himself with the task of researching and documenting the story of the Baudelaire orphans for "many personal and legal reasons". He traces their movements and collects evidence relating to their adventures. Though he is never specified to have met the children in the book series, in the Netflix [[A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV series)#Season 3 (2019)|adaptation]] of ''The Penultimate Peril'' he is confirmed as the taxi driver trying to take the children away from the hotel.

As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Snicket had known the Baudelaire orphans' parents well through their connections to V.F.D. However, as mentioned in ''[[The Hostile Hospital]]'' and ''[[The End (novel)|The End]]'', despite all of Lemony's research and hard work, he still does not know the current location, position or status of the Baudelaire children. Additionally, it is unclear if he ever met them in the books.

Snicket is frequently disparaging of himself; he has described himself as a [[cowardice|coward]], and at various points in his novels comments that he would not have been as brave as the Baudelaire children had he been in their situation. He also confesses that he has done things that were not noble, such as the original theft of the sugar bowl from [[Esmé Squalor]]. He implied he had a part in the murder of Count Olaf's parents, and that Beatrice was involved as well.

In the narration of the books, Snicket describes doing many unusual things in his free time, including hiding all traces of his actions, locating new hiding places, considering suspicious dishes, and researching the perilous lives of the Baudelaire children. He claims to often write himself citations for bravery in an attempt to cheer himself up, but these attempts are always in vain.
[[File:Handlertheend.PNG|thumb|Daniel Handler in 2006]]

== As pen name ==
{{Main|Lemony Snicket bibliography}}
The name ''Lemony Snicket'' originally came from research from Handler's first book ''[[The Basic Eight]]''. Handler wanted to receive material from organizations that he found "offensive or funny" but did not want to use his real name, so he invented "Lemony Snicket" as a pseudonym.<ref name="Beatrice">[http://www.beatrice.com/interviews/handler/ The Beatrice Interview], beatrice.com. Retrieved January 14, 2016.</ref> The name's similarity to [[Jiminy Cricket]] was "likely a [[Freudian slip]]".<ref>[http://www.lemony-snicket-stuff.com/daniel_handler_biography.html Handler biodata] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203024157/http://www.lemony-snicket-stuff.com/daniel_handler_biography.html|date=February 3, 2010}}, Lemony Snicket stuff. Retrieved January 15, 2016.</ref><!-- Handler described Jiminy Cricket as "exactly the kind of overly moralistic, cheerful narrator who I despise". (NO indication that he actually said this on the web) --> Handler told [[NPR]] in an interview that "the character of Lemony Snicket, this man who speaks directly to the reader and also who is tangentially involved in the stories that he's telling is really more of a character. We just thought it would be fun to publish the books under the name of this character."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/01/13/509587895/the-man-behind-lemony-snicket-talks-about-writing-for-kids-and-his-childhood-fea|title=The Man Behind Lemony Snicket Talks About Writing For Kids And His Childhood Fears|publisher=NPR|date=January 13, 2017|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref> Handler has also written or contributed to other works under the Lemony Snicket persona that are not related to ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''. He has stated "there's a chance some other matters may take up Mr. Snicket's attention, that he may research and publish, but I'm always wary of making such promises".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_5020000/newsid_5029000/5029046.stm|title=Newsround interviews Lemony Snicket|date=May 30, 2006|agency=BBC News|access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref>

Handler publishes most of his children's novels under the pen name, including the thirteen-book ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' series'','' the four-book ''[[All the Wrong Questions]]'' series, ''The Baby in the Manger'', ''[[The Composer Is Dead]]'', ''[[Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid]]'', ''[[The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming]]'', ''[[The Lump of Coal]]'', and ''[[13 Words]]''.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-jun-20-la-ca-conversation-20100620-story.html|title=The Sunday Conversation: With Daniel Handler|date=June 20, 2010|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 16, 2018|issn=0458-3035}}</ref><ref name=":02"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/13-Words-by-Lemony-Snicket-3251751.php|title='13 Words,' by Lemony Snicket|last=Faust|first=Susan|date=September 26, 2010 |agency=SFGate|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

As Snicket, Handler wrote an [[Foreword|introduction]] and [[endnotes]] for ''[[The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily]]'' by Dino Buzzati, his favorite children's book,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cenewscenter.rutgers.edu/daniel-handler|title=Q&A with Daniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket), Bestselling Novelist and Upcoming Speaker at Rutgers University |publisher=Rutgers University |access-date=April 16, 2018}}</ref> that referenced ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''. ''[[Noisy Outlaws|Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out]]'', a 2005 [[McSweeney's]] short story compilation, has an introduction and unfinished short story attributed to Lemony Snicket.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-dec-18-bk-hamilton18-story.html|title=All this, and Lemony Snicket too|date=December 18, 2005|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

Snicket also wrote ''[[The Composer Is Dead]]'', a murder mystery designed to introduce young readers to the instruments of the orchestra; it was previously produced as an orchestral work by the [[San Francisco Symphony Orchestra]], with Handler narrating as Snicket, and a recording of the performance is to be included with every copy of the expanded book.<ref>[http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Parents/News/BookBuzz_SnicketSymphony_2006.htm HarperCollins Children's Books – Parents Book Buzz] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927034523/http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/HarperChildrens/Parents/News/BookBuzz_SnicketSymphony_2006.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}, harpercollinschildrens.com. Retrieved January 5, 2017.</ref>

In 2013, Snicket wrote the introduction to the 1989–1990 edition of [[Fantagraphics Books]]' ''[[The Complete Peanuts]]'' series.

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{official website |danielhandler.com}} 
* [http://LemonySnicketLibrary.com ''All the Wrong Questions''] (official)
* [http://www.lemonysnicket.com ''A Series of Unfortunate Events''] (official)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071013195555/http://harpercollins.com/authors/14581/Lemony_Snicket/index.aspx?WT.mc_id=WikiA14581 Lemony Snicket interviews and excerpts] at publisher HarperCollins
* {{LCAuth|n99020360|Lemony Snicket|45|}}, and [https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n99-020360 Snicket at WorldCat]
* [http://lccn.loc.gov/n98075683 Daniel Handler] at LC Authorities, with 10 records, and [https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n98-075683 Handler at WorldCat]

{{Snicket}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snicket, Lemony}}
[[Category:Lemony Snicket| ]]
[[Category:A Series of Unfortunate Events characters]]
[[Category:Fictional members of secret societies]]
[[Category:Fictional reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:Fictional characters based on real people]]
[[Category:Fictional characters who break the fourth wall]]
[[Category:Fictional spies]]
[[Category:Fictional writers]]
[[Category:Fictional outlaws]]
[[Category:Author surrogates]]
[[Category:20th-century pseudonymous writers]]
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[[Category:Postmodern writers]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1999]]