Daniel Handler is the author of seven novels, including “Why We Broke Up,” “We Are Pirates,” “All The Dirty Parts,” and, most recently, “Bottle Grove.” As Lemony Snicket, he is responsible for numerous children’s books, including the thirteen-volume series “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” the four-volume “All the Wrong Questions,” and “The Dark,” which won the Charlotte Zolotow Award. Snicket’s first book for readers of all ages, “Poison for Breakfast,” was published by Liveright/W.W. Norton in 2021.
Handler has received commissions from the San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He collaborated with artist Maira Kalman on a series of books for the Museum of Modern Art in New York and with musicians Stephin Merritt (of the Magnetic Fields), Benjamin Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie), Colin Meloy (of the Decemberists), and Torquil Campbell (of Stars).
His books have sold more than 70 million copies and have been translated into 40 languages. They’ve also been adapted for film, stage, and television, including the recent adaptation of “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” for which he was awarded both the Peabody and Writers Guild of America awards. Currently, he resides in San Francisco with the illustrator Lisa Brown, his collaborator and spouse, and they have a child together.
You were part of the San Francisco Boys Chorus. How did that experience influence your artistic and creative journey?
The chorus demanded a great deal of strenuous rehearsal in order to perform opera onstage. Hard, focused work in the cause of hysterical melodrama is, of course, the exact scope of my artistic journey.
A “Series of Unfortunate Events” is a unique and intriguing work. How did the idea for this series originate, and what was the creative process like?
I thought terrible things happening over and over to children would be interesting, and a side benefit was that such a project required me to reread the classics of Gothic literature, as well as finding new sources for peril which I might swipe and write on the page.
The use of the pseudonym Lemony Snicket started as a joke but became an integral part of your work. How does this alter ego contribute to the narrative and interaction with readers?
If one is an enthusiastic reader, one wants to participate in that magic space of literature, formed by the story and the language, an imaginary space which is not realistic but feels very real, a space far more interesting than a person sitting at a desk writing things down. I enjoy being in this space and I enjoy being visited in it.
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” was adapted for film and later for a Netflix series. How was it to see your characters come to life in these different mediums?
Strange. Sometimes glorious, sometimes horrible, always strange.
Lemony Snicket is an intriguing figure in A “Series of Unfortunate Events”, indirectly connected to the story. Can you speak more about the conception of this character and their relationship to the events of the plot?
I think narrators are interesting. The longer someone is telling you a story, the more you might wonder about them.
You are known for your involvement in social causes and philanthropy. How does philanthropy intertwine with your life and work?
If one is lucky enough to acquire more than one’s fair share of money, one should give some of it to people who haven’t been as lucky.
There’s a mysterious aspect surrounding Lemony Snicket’s life, including his supposed death. Does this in any way reflect your own interests and experiences?
I’m going to die, and sometimes I think about that, yes.
You are married to Lisa Brown, a graphic artist. How is the dynamic of artistic collaboration between the two of you?
We like to sit around talking about how art works, how a story might be improved, how a style of drawing or painting is interesting or isn’t. We keep talking and begin to get very silly and then it’s time to boil an egg.
Besides A “Series of Unfortunate Events”, do you have plans for new literary or cinematic projects in the future? Can you share any news?
I am at work on a book project, a theatrical endeavor and at least two exciting collaborations, but I don’t like to announce a baby until it’s born.
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