Lemony Snicket

Jim Hanson
File:Lemonysnicketgrave.PNG
First appearance	The Bad Beginning
Last appearance	The End
Created by	Daniel Handler
Portrayed by	Jude Law
In-universe information
Alias	Daniel Handler
Nickname	Lemony Snicket
Species	Homo sapiens
Gender	Male
Relatives	Kit Snicket (sister), Jacques Snicket (brother), Beatrice Baudelaire (niece)

Lemony Snicket is a pseudonym used by author Daniel Handler in his book series A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as a character in that series. An autobiography was published, entitled Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography with an introduction from Handler. A pamphlet, 13 Shocking Secrets You'll Wish You Never Knew About Lemony Snicket, was released in promotion of The End. Handler has also written some other books and short fiction under the Lemony Snicket name, such as the children's book The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming and the hardcover children's book The Lump of Coal.

Name origin

File:Helquist Snicket.jpg

Lemony Snicket in The End.

The name Lemony Snicket ostensibly came from research for Handler's first book, The Basic Eight. Handler wanted to receive material from organizations he found "offensive or funny", but did not want to use his real name, and invented "Lemony Snicket" as a pseudonym. He would also use the name to write prank letters to newspapers, pretending to be outraged at a trivial news item. When writing A Series of Unfortunate Events, he and his editor thought that the books should be published under the narrator's name, rather than his. He was born on February 28,1970

Narrator and character

Snicket came from a family of three children. His brother Jacques Snicket and sister Kit Snicket were also V.F.D. members and friends of the Baudelaire parents. Both Jacques and Kit appear as supporting characters in the Series of Unfortunate Events books. He also knew Count Olaf in his early life, as the two attended school together.

In his youth, Lemony Snicket attended a V.F.D.-run boarding school 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 graduating. He was an obituary spell-checker and theater critic.

Lemony Snicket conducted an ill-fated romance with the actress Beatrice, Lemony and Beatrice being at one point engaged to be married, but Beatrice breaking off the engagement for unclear reasons, and returning her ring to Lemony at some point later, along with a two-hundred page book explaining why the two could not be wed. It is revealed, however, that Lemony Snicket was believed to be dead by the Baudelaire parents, as "The End (Book the Thirteenth)" states that, following with the tradition of naming children after someone who has died, Violet was to be named Lemony if she was a boy. Beatrice most probably discovered the truth sometime after marrying Bertrand Baudelaire, as she would presumably have no reason to send the ring and book to Lemony if he were dead.

As Beatrice was the Baudelaires' mother, she died in the fire that destroyed the Baudelaire mansion. She is not to be confused with Beatrice Baudelaire, the daughter of Kit Snicket, and adopted daughter of the Baudelaire orphans. Snicket frequently alludes to Beatrice in his narration and dedicates each Series of Unfortunate Events book to her. Even though it is thought that a third Beatrice exists becauce in one of the books Lemony Snicket mentions that he wishes that he could have avoided that Beatrice went to the tea party Esme Squalor organized one Thursday. In The Penultimate Peril Esme Squalor is planning a tea party on Thursday and the Baudelaire mother is dead by that time and Kit Snicket's dauther: Beatrice borned in The End so none of the two could be there.

Snicket is also known to have been close friends with a woman called "R.", who was the Duchess of Winnipeg.

Lemony Snicket has charged himself with the task of researching and writing the sad story of the Baudelaire orphans for "many personal and legal reasons". He traces their movements and collects evidence relating to their adventures, but it is possible that he never met Violet, Klaus or Sunny in person. Many fans often identify him, though, as a taxi driver who appeared briefly in The Penultimate Peril, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window. This man is heavily implied to be in the possession of the sugar bowl, a key plot element of the series, after recovering it from the pond it had been hidden within.

As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that Snicket knew the late Mr. and Mrs. Baudelaire well for many years through their connections to V.F.D.. However, as mentioned in The Hostile Hospital and 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.

Lemony was recruited by V.F.D. as a child, according to the Little Snicket Lad song. In The Beatrice Letters, his niece, the daughter of Kit Snicket, who is also named Beatrice, mentions that she believes he is a detective of some sort, a reference to his investigations into the case of the Baudelaire children.

Snicket is frequently disparaging of himself; he has described himself as a 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, most notably the original theft of the sugar bowl from Esmé Squalor. He has also implied that he had a part in the murder of Count Olaf's parents, Olaf being the main antagonist of the series, 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 a thank-you note in an attempt to cheer himself up, but these attempts are always in vain.

Other work

Daniel 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".

The first of these was a secular Nativity story entitled The Baby in the Manger. Another Christmas story, entitled The Lump of Coal, was published in USA Weekend in 2004. As Snicket, Handler wrote an introduction and endnotes for The Bears' Famous Invasion of Sicily, his favorite children's book, that referenced A Series of Unfortunate Events. A book of humorous quotes partly drawn from A Series of Unfortunate Events was published as Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid. Another "Christmas" story, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming, was published in October, 2007.

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.

In an interview with the 667 Dark Avenue fansite, Daniel Handler alluded to more Lemony Snicket books focused on the world of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

In all of his A Series Of Unfortunate Events books, he does not have pictures of his face.

Appearances

• The Bad Beginning
• The Reptile Room
• The Wide Window
• The Miserable Mill
• The Austere Academy
• The Ersatz Elevator
• The Vile Village
• The Hostile Hospital
• The Carnivorous Carnival
• The Slippery Slope
• The Grim Grotto
• The Penultimate Peril
• The End

External links

• Official site
• Interviews and chapter excerpts (Official publisher web page)
• Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, on creativity and the creative process, an interview with about-creativity.com June 14, 2007
• Exclusive 667 Dark Avenue Interview