海角大神

Who is mysterious children鈥檚 author Lemony Snicket?

Well, we鈥檙e not sure, but we were able to reach Snicket鈥檚 representative, writer Daniel Handler, so that鈥檚 something.

Snicket鈥檚 new book, 鈥淲ho Could That Be at This Hour?,鈥� is the first in a planned quartet, titled 鈥淎ll the Wrong Questions.鈥� It will tell the story of Snicket鈥檚 childhood and his involvement with a mysterious organization that played an important role in the 鈥淎 Series of Unfortunate Events鈥� books.

Snicket is the narrator of the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books, telling the tale of the three Baudelaire children 鈥� orphans, whose parents die in a mysterious fire at the start of the books and who are then shuttled from guardian to guardian as the children try to learn more about the truth behind the conflagration 鈥� even as he frequently hints to readers at his own involvement in the story and warns them to put the book down before even more sad events occur.

(Also, Snicket is actually Handler鈥檚 pen name, but go with us on this one.)

In the new book, 鈥淲ho Could That Be at This Hour?,鈥� a young Snicket comes under the apprenticeship of a woman named Theodora and tries to solve a mystery centering on the (possible) theft of a statue called the Bombinating Beast in a town known as Stain鈥檇-by-the-Sea.

Handler says reassuringly that Snicket had written the book 鈥渄efinitely of his own free will.鈥�

鈥淚t was written before the 鈥楽eries of Unfortunate Events鈥� books and is only being released now, now that it is safe to do so,鈥� he says.

Snicket joins a strange organization in the book which goes unnamed but which 鈥淪eries of Unfortunate Event鈥� readers might guess is VFD, a group sometimes known as the Volunteer Fire Brigade to which the Baudelaires鈥� parents belonged. Handler is coy on the question of whether the groups are one and the same.

鈥淚t's safe for you, personally, to assume that,鈥� he says (although he also points out that he will not be around if I later discover that my assumption is wrong).

When 鈥淎 Series of Unfortunate Events鈥� kicked off in 1999 with 鈥淭he Bad Beginning,鈥� the books 鈥� which had dire warnings not to read them plastered on their back covers 鈥� were unlike just about anything else on the market. (鈥淚鈥檓 sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant,鈥� begins a letter from Snicket featured on the back of the book.) The series also has plenty of wordplay and literary references, from the Baudelaire children鈥檚 temporary guardian Arthur Poe to a young island resident they meet named Friday. Handler says he doesn't worry about language going over children鈥檚 heads.

鈥淚n my time in the children's book industry, I've heard that children will not understand just about anything,鈥� he says.

Snicket has also written other titles unrelated to the 鈥淪eries of Unfortunate Events鈥� universe, including 鈥淭he Composer is Dead,鈥� a children鈥檚 mystery set in an orchestra, and three holiday titles, 鈥淭he Latke Who Couldn鈥檛 Stop Screaming,鈥� 鈥淭he Lump of Coal,鈥� and 鈥淭he Baby in the Manger.鈥� Handler says Snicket chose to set these books during wintertime because of the increased appeal of reading during bad weather.

鈥淒uring the winter months, people like to escape,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 probably don't need to tell that to someone with a 617 area code.鈥� (Indeed.)

As for Snicket himself, Handler says that while it had been stated in previous author biographies that the writer was on the run from police, all he can say right now is that Snicket is 鈥渟till in trouble.鈥�

While actor Jude Law played Snicket in the film adaptation of 鈥淎 Series of Unfortunate Events,鈥� Handler says that the only resemblance between the two was that 鈥渁 lot of people have fantasized that he looks like Jude Law."

Handler says he and Snicket have not discussed future plans beyond the projected next three books in the 鈥淎ll the Wrong Questions鈥� series.

鈥淚 prefer not to make commitments too far in advance,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne of us could get hit by a train tomorrow and it could all be over鈥� but it would certainly make your story more popular.鈥�