Lemony Snicket

I've been reading these books lately and I have to say they're a lot of fun. I'd been dying to know who Lemony Snickett was. Thanks to Jeff Landon for finding an interview with him. The guy's name is Daniel Handler, and he's written a couple adult novels as well (about which I'm admittedly now quite curious). The interview is really interesting. I hadn't thought at all about the Judaic aspect of these stories, but now that I've read the interview, it makes perfect sense. Click the title of this entry to read the interview. Interesting stuff. An excerpt:

Handler has also said that the books follow the great Jewish traditions: The Baudelaire orphans behave well and bravely because it's the right thing to do, not because it will get them ahead. "Judaism doesn't really promise any reward, they just emphasize that good behavior is more or less its own reward, " he said.

As a kid, Handler ate up the books of Roald Dahl and Edward Gorey -- two dark and funny authors. Today, what he can't bear are moralistic books for children.