The Truly Horrible Lemony Snicket Interview

ReadKiddoRead: You’re quite the storyteller, Mr. Snicket, how did you become so fond of spinning elaborate tales?

A career in writing involves a great deal of reading, a sizable amount of eavesdropping, and an interminable time alone in a room frowning at sheets of paper. I found myself doing all three of these things so I decided that becoming a writer would make sense.

ReadKiddoRead: How did you come to write A Series of Unfortunate Events?

In gazing at my own bookshelves, and those of my associates, I was struck by the absence of any history of the Baudelaire orphans - or, indeed, any books with the per-page rate of misery that such a story might provide.

ReadKiddoRead: Why, in your opinion, do kids love following the stories of the Baudelaire orphans?

Just because people read my stories does not mean they enjoy them. Plenty of people are bitten by dogs or betrayed by ambassadors.

ReadKiddoRead: Any advice for parents, teachers, etc., about getting kids reading? Advice not involving the use of thumb tacks, perhaps?

If I had a thumbtack for each time an adult complained to me of a child not reading, and then added that they had no time to read themselves, there would not be a single prick-free surface in my home. Parents and teachers should use thumbtacks to pin notes to their bedroom walls reminding themselves to read more. One leads by example.

ReadKiddoRead: What is your advice to kids who want to try their hand at writing a story or book?

Carry a notebook with you at all times so you can write down ideas that occur to you, or interesting things you have overheard. If you carry a notebook with you at all times, you will develop a reputation of being intelligent, which is a perfect cover for doing nefarious things.

ReadKiddoRead: What are some of your favorite reads Mr. Snicket? You do like to read, right? What were your favorite books as a kid?

I enjoyed as a child, and still enjoy to this day, the work of Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Edward Gorey and P.G. Wodehouse, and my all-time favorite book was Dino Buzzati’s The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily.

ReadKiddoRead: What were Mr. Handler’s favorite books as a kid? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you answering for him…

Mr. Handler enjoyed as a child, and still enjoys to this day, the work of Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Edward Gorey and P.G. Wodehouse, and his all-time favorite book was Dino Buzzati’s The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily.

ReadKiddoRead: And what about Count Olaf? Does he read? And, was he ever actually a kid?

Literature belongs to everyone, even the wicked, and it is a sad truth that some of the worst people on earth are still avid readers. Even Count Olaf could be found consuming gruesome and thrilling tales of nefarious outlaws evading the authorities.