Post by Christmas Chief on Oct 31, 2010 11:02:56 GMT -5
www.standard.net/topics/features/2010/10/29/triskaidekaphobic-not-snicket
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The author Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, plays with words and questions. He also likes the number 13.
Here, then, are 13 words that came up in telephone interviews with Handler and a few of his fans who are hoping to meet the famous writer when he comes to Ogden next month for the Ogden School Foundation's Fall Author Event.
The 13 words, for your consideration and in no particular order, are: panache, amazing, sarcastic, hat, tangents, vocabulary, lurking, Otto, adverbs, perfect, aggrieved, distressed and overdressed.
Let's take them one at a time, starting with the last three, shall we?
Aggrieved, distressed and overdressed
As Lemony Snicket, Handler wrote the wildly popular series (13 books in all) collectively known as "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
A screenwriter and accordionist as well, Handler was raised in San Francisco, where he now lives with his family. He adores opera and was a member of the San Francisco Boys Chorus.
"Puberty wrecked my career (as a boy soprano)," he said.
No matter, his career as an author is doing just fine.
Handler and his alter ego, Lemony Snicket, have an unusual -- and at times, strained -- relationship. Handler has been known to show up at Lemony Snicket author events as Snicket's "handler" or as Snicket himself.
"Lemony Snicket is an aggrieved and distressed and overdressed person concerned with the doom and gloom of the world," Handler said. "I'm slightly less overdressed."
It's difficult to tell whether they actually like one another. Handler feels Snicket's fame has overshadowed his life. He has accused Snicket of stealing his ideas, blotting out his moment in the sun and generally making it impossible to live a normal life.
"I think both of us are disappointed with the other and that disappointment tends to spread virally," Handler said.
Amazing, sarcastic, vocabulary, lurking, tangents and perfect
Pam Butterwick is a language arts teacher at Highland Junior High School in Ogden. In advance of Handler's appearance, her students read "The Bad Beginning" (1999), the first book in "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
The series follows the increasingly troubled lives of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, whose parents die after their mansion is burned down. The children are placed in the custody of their dastardly distant cousin, Count Olaf, who plots to steal their inheritance. The 2004 movie, starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, is based on the first three books.
Butterwick's students are participating in a writing contest in conjunction with Handler's visit. Their assignment: Write a humorous essay with the theme "Be Careful What You Wish For; You Might Get It." Winners will attend the author dinner, meet Handler and receive an autographed copy of one of his books.
Three of Butterwick's students -- Rilee Jeppsen, Mercedes Baca and Gabriel La Beu -- are hoping their essays will win them the opportunity to meet the man behind Lemony Snicket.
"He is an amazing writer and has inspired me on some of my stories," Baca said.
Jeppsen said she particularly enjoys how Snicket uses words she didn't know before: "He uses a lot of big words. He has a very big vocabulary and he makes you feels like you are inside the story."
For example, the second-to-last book in the series is called "The Penultimate Peril."
" 'Penultimate' means second to last," Jeppsen said. "I didn't know what that meant before reading that book. He does that a lot."
But the Snicket books are much more than a vocabulary lesson. They are darkly witty with richly developed characters.
"They are incredibly creative," Butterwick said. "The entire book is so vivid. You could smell the characters and see their craggy skin and wiry hair. He is just a very descriptive writer, especially in the development of his characters."
Butterwick was also captivated by the humor in the books, some of which apparently went over her students' heads.
"I kept laughing and the kids were like, 'It's not that funny' and I was 'Yeah, it's really funny,' " Butterwick said.
"He is a funny writer," Jeppsen agrees. "He goes off on these little tangents."
At times, Handler's writing can be charmingly snide. But Handler -- whose personal philosophy of life is "Never refuse a breath mint " -- said he is neither an optimist nor a pessimist.
"Both views seem unrealistic," Handler said, then recited the Oscar Wilde quote, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
"It's kind of sarcastic at times," Baca said of his writing. "It has its dark sides and its tragic parts, but it is also light and airy."
All three students agreed that Snicket kept them turning the pages to see what calamity would next befall the unfortunate children.
"I love how it's written," La Beu said. "Lemony Snicket takes a perfect blend of suspense, tragedy, happiness and mystery and turns it into a really great story."
La Beu also appreciates how the children, whom he described as "quite intelligent," work together to escape whatever nasty predicament they are facing.
"Lemony Snicket is the perfect example of how a book should be written," La Beu said. "When you pick up his books, you can't put them down.There is always something lurking around the next corner."
Panache and hat
It's hard to get a straight answer out of Handler. Humor appears to be programmed as his default. When asked what he was like as a child, he replied, "Shorter than I am now."
He then adds, "I was a big reader and I think I was probably aware of the injustice and inconvenience of the world."
His worldview was shaped in part by the fact that his father fled Nazi Germany in childhood.
Handler grew up knowing about the frightening events of the Holocaust and what horrible things could happen, even to children.
Handler's newest book is "13 Words" (HarperCollins). The book takes his trademark humor and applies it to 13 words he thinks need some attention by the youngest of readers. The book is illustrated by Maira Kalman and tells the story of a despondent bird, a friendly dog and a goat.
"I chose words that were appropriate for a story and words that I felt were either underexplored or underutilized," Handler said "So there are words like 'panache,' which is underutilized and words like 'hat,' which is underexplored."
Panache is the sort of word Handler thinks should be used all of the time for the betterment of the world.
"I don't know a lot of people who use it, but maybe it's different in Ogden. Maybe people there use 'panache' all the time," he said. "On the other hand, a word like 'hat,' of course, is used pretty frequently, but it's underexplored. People tend to wear a pretty ordinary hat."
Adverbs and Otto
When Handler decides to write a book, he looks at the world as if it's a bookshelf.
"When you look at a bookshelf, you can often see a gap where there is something missing," Handler said. "I try to figure out what's missing."
The idea for his book "Adverbs" (Ecco, 2006), which was written under his own name, came to him after he had an argument with his wife on a New York City subway. The novel is an exploration of the nature of love.
"She said, 'I don't have to be with someone like you,' and I said, 'I don't have to be with someone like you,' " Handler recalls. "Then I walked over to the far end of the subway and gazed longingly at an elderly Chinese woman and that inspired my novel 'Adverbs' because I thought it was strange the way we end up choosing people."
Fortunately, the couple remained together and are now the parents of a 6-year-old son named Otto who is learning to write, including his name.
"I think he's grateful for the fact that it only has two letters and they're repeated twice," Handler said.
Handler said he will encourage Otto to read whatever he wants, even if it is something by that Lemony Snicket fellow.
"I just want him to read. I don't really care what he reads," Handler said. "I guess I would be concerned if he were only reading white supremacist pamphlets, but we don't have a lot of those around the house."
Regarding his upcoming appearance in Ogden, Handler hopes people won't come with too high expectations.
"I usually try to explain my life as best I can, and usually it's a disappointment for all concerned," Handler said.
Handler said he looks forward to returning to Ogden, but in typical fashion, was playful when asked what he was doing here on his last visit.
"That's precisely what the authorities of Ogden asked me," he said.
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The author Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, plays with words and questions. He also likes the number 13.
Here, then, are 13 words that came up in telephone interviews with Handler and a few of his fans who are hoping to meet the famous writer when he comes to Ogden next month for the Ogden School Foundation's Fall Author Event.
The 13 words, for your consideration and in no particular order, are: panache, amazing, sarcastic, hat, tangents, vocabulary, lurking, Otto, adverbs, perfect, aggrieved, distressed and overdressed.
Let's take them one at a time, starting with the last three, shall we?
Aggrieved, distressed and overdressed
As Lemony Snicket, Handler wrote the wildly popular series (13 books in all) collectively known as "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
A screenwriter and accordionist as well, Handler was raised in San Francisco, where he now lives with his family. He adores opera and was a member of the San Francisco Boys Chorus.
"Puberty wrecked my career (as a boy soprano)," he said.
No matter, his career as an author is doing just fine.
Handler and his alter ego, Lemony Snicket, have an unusual -- and at times, strained -- relationship. Handler has been known to show up at Lemony Snicket author events as Snicket's "handler" or as Snicket himself.
"Lemony Snicket is an aggrieved and distressed and overdressed person concerned with the doom and gloom of the world," Handler said. "I'm slightly less overdressed."
It's difficult to tell whether they actually like one another. Handler feels Snicket's fame has overshadowed his life. He has accused Snicket of stealing his ideas, blotting out his moment in the sun and generally making it impossible to live a normal life.
"I think both of us are disappointed with the other and that disappointment tends to spread virally," Handler said.
Amazing, sarcastic, vocabulary, lurking, tangents and perfect
Pam Butterwick is a language arts teacher at Highland Junior High School in Ogden. In advance of Handler's appearance, her students read "The Bad Beginning" (1999), the first book in "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
The series follows the increasingly troubled lives of Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, whose parents die after their mansion is burned down. The children are placed in the custody of their dastardly distant cousin, Count Olaf, who plots to steal their inheritance. The 2004 movie, starring Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, is based on the first three books.
Butterwick's students are participating in a writing contest in conjunction with Handler's visit. Their assignment: Write a humorous essay with the theme "Be Careful What You Wish For; You Might Get It." Winners will attend the author dinner, meet Handler and receive an autographed copy of one of his books.
Three of Butterwick's students -- Rilee Jeppsen, Mercedes Baca and Gabriel La Beu -- are hoping their essays will win them the opportunity to meet the man behind Lemony Snicket.
"He is an amazing writer and has inspired me on some of my stories," Baca said.
Jeppsen said she particularly enjoys how Snicket uses words she didn't know before: "He uses a lot of big words. He has a very big vocabulary and he makes you feels like you are inside the story."
For example, the second-to-last book in the series is called "The Penultimate Peril."
" 'Penultimate' means second to last," Jeppsen said. "I didn't know what that meant before reading that book. He does that a lot."
But the Snicket books are much more than a vocabulary lesson. They are darkly witty with richly developed characters.
"They are incredibly creative," Butterwick said. "The entire book is so vivid. You could smell the characters and see their craggy skin and wiry hair. He is just a very descriptive writer, especially in the development of his characters."
Butterwick was also captivated by the humor in the books, some of which apparently went over her students' heads.
"I kept laughing and the kids were like, 'It's not that funny' and I was 'Yeah, it's really funny,' " Butterwick said.
"He is a funny writer," Jeppsen agrees. "He goes off on these little tangents."
At times, Handler's writing can be charmingly snide. But Handler -- whose personal philosophy of life is "Never refuse a breath mint " -- said he is neither an optimist nor a pessimist.
"Both views seem unrealistic," Handler said, then recited the Oscar Wilde quote, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
"It's kind of sarcastic at times," Baca said of his writing. "It has its dark sides and its tragic parts, but it is also light and airy."
All three students agreed that Snicket kept them turning the pages to see what calamity would next befall the unfortunate children.
"I love how it's written," La Beu said. "Lemony Snicket takes a perfect blend of suspense, tragedy, happiness and mystery and turns it into a really great story."
La Beu also appreciates how the children, whom he described as "quite intelligent," work together to escape whatever nasty predicament they are facing.
"Lemony Snicket is the perfect example of how a book should be written," La Beu said. "When you pick up his books, you can't put them down.There is always something lurking around the next corner."
Panache and hat
It's hard to get a straight answer out of Handler. Humor appears to be programmed as his default. When asked what he was like as a child, he replied, "Shorter than I am now."
He then adds, "I was a big reader and I think I was probably aware of the injustice and inconvenience of the world."
His worldview was shaped in part by the fact that his father fled Nazi Germany in childhood.
Handler grew up knowing about the frightening events of the Holocaust and what horrible things could happen, even to children.
Handler's newest book is "13 Words" (HarperCollins). The book takes his trademark humor and applies it to 13 words he thinks need some attention by the youngest of readers. The book is illustrated by Maira Kalman and tells the story of a despondent bird, a friendly dog and a goat.
"I chose words that were appropriate for a story and words that I felt were either underexplored or underutilized," Handler said "So there are words like 'panache,' which is underutilized and words like 'hat,' which is underexplored."
Panache is the sort of word Handler thinks should be used all of the time for the betterment of the world.
"I don't know a lot of people who use it, but maybe it's different in Ogden. Maybe people there use 'panache' all the time," he said. "On the other hand, a word like 'hat,' of course, is used pretty frequently, but it's underexplored. People tend to wear a pretty ordinary hat."
Adverbs and Otto
When Handler decides to write a book, he looks at the world as if it's a bookshelf.
"When you look at a bookshelf, you can often see a gap where there is something missing," Handler said. "I try to figure out what's missing."
The idea for his book "Adverbs" (Ecco, 2006), which was written under his own name, came to him after he had an argument with his wife on a New York City subway. The novel is an exploration of the nature of love.
"She said, 'I don't have to be with someone like you,' and I said, 'I don't have to be with someone like you,' " Handler recalls. "Then I walked over to the far end of the subway and gazed longingly at an elderly Chinese woman and that inspired my novel 'Adverbs' because I thought it was strange the way we end up choosing people."
Fortunately, the couple remained together and are now the parents of a 6-year-old son named Otto who is learning to write, including his name.
"I think he's grateful for the fact that it only has two letters and they're repeated twice," Handler said.
Handler said he will encourage Otto to read whatever he wants, even if it is something by that Lemony Snicket fellow.
"I just want him to read. I don't really care what he reads," Handler said. "I guess I would be concerned if he were only reading white supremacist pamphlets, but we don't have a lot of those around the house."
Regarding his upcoming appearance in Ogden, Handler hopes people won't come with too high expectations.
"I usually try to explain my life as best I can, and usually it's a disappointment for all concerned," Handler said.
Handler said he looks forward to returning to Ogden, but in typical fashion, was playful when asked what he was doing here on his last visit.
"That's precisely what the authorities of Ogden asked me," he said.
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