Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography

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Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
LemonySnicketUA.PNG
First edition cover
Author Lemony Snicket
IllustratorBrett Helquist
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFictional biographical novel
Publisher HarperCollins, Egmont Publishing (UK)
Publication date
May 2002 (US); August 2002, 3 September 2007 (U.K.)
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages218 pp
ISBN 978-0-06-000719-5 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC 48435430
[Fic] 21
LC Class PZ7.S6795 Un 2002

Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography is a fictional "autobiography" of A Series of Unfortunate Events author and character Lemony Snicket. It was published on May 1, 2002. [1] [2]

Contents

Synopsis and style

Although it is labeled "Unauthorized" for humor, the book is in fact official. Beginning with a multi-layered introduction by Daniel Handler that encompasses twelve of the book's thirteen chapters, the book is largely made up of facsimile documents, such as old newspaper excerpts and letters, as well as excerpts from other books. The book also uses a mixture of black-and-white photography by Meredith Heuer and Julie Blattberg and 1930s photography gathered from an archive of photographs originally used for other purposes. It has a reversible cover, making it possible to disguise the autobiography as The Luckiest Kids in the World: The Pony Party by Loney M. Setnick (an anagram for Lemony Snicket). The reversible cover also includes a back cover summary which describes the book as "delightfully appropriate".

The book helps clear up some loose ends from the series, but it also introduces many more mysteries, as well as elucidates details which readers might have missed in previous books. It also answers and raises many questions about the mysterious V.F.D. organization, a key player in A Series of Unfortunate Events .

Reception

This book sold 139,000 paperback copies in the United States in 2003. [3]

Karen Valby of Entertainment Weekly scored the book a B, saying, "...the whole thing is a bit of a vanity project, a bizarre exercise in style and trickery, but it will whet the appetites of fans as they wait for the ninth book. Newcomers, though, should start with The Bad Beginning ". [1]

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Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American author Daniel Handler. Handler has published several children's books under the name, most notably A Series of Unfortunate Events, which has sold over 60 million copies and spawned a 2004 film and TV series from 2017 to 2019. Lemony Snicket also serves as both the fictional narrator and a character in A Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as the main character in its prequel, a four-part book series titled All the Wrong Questions.

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<i>A Series of Unfortunate Events</i> Book series by Lemony Snicket

A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After their parents' death in a fire, the children are placed in the custody of a murderous relative, Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance and later, causes numerous disasters with the help of his accomplices as the children attempt to flee. As the plot progresses, the Baudelaires gradually confront further mysteries surrounding their family and deep conspiracies involving a secret society known as the Volunteer Fire Department.

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<i>The Bad Beginning</i> 1999 childrens novel

The Bad Beginning is the first novel of the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The novel tells the story of three children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, who become orphans following a fire and are sent to live with Count Olaf, who attempts to steal their inheritance.

<i>The Reptile Room</i> 1999 childrens novel

The Reptile Room is the second book in the children's series A Series of Unfortunate Events, written by Daniel Handler under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket. The book tells the story of the Baudelaire orphans, as they are sent to live with a distant relative named Montgomery Montgomery.

<i>The Wide Window</i> 2000 childrens novel

The Wide Window is the third novel of the children's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. In this novel, the Baudelaire orphans live with their aunt Josephine, who is seemingly scared of everything. The book was published on February 25, 2000 by HarperCollins and illustrated by Brett Helquist.

<i>The Austere Academy</i> 2000 childrens novel

The Austere Academy is the fifth novel in the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The Baudelaire orphans are sent to a boarding school, overseen by monstrous employees. There, the orphans meet new friends, new enemies, and Count Olaf in disguises.

<i>The Slippery Slope</i> 2003 childrens novel

The Slippery Slope is the tenth novel in the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. It was illustrated by Brett Helquist and released on September 23, 2003. In the novel, Violet and Klaus Baudelaire make their way up the Mortmain Mountains to rescue their sister Sunny from Count Olaf and his troupe. They meet Quigley Quagmire, a character who they thought to be dead, and visit the headquarters of a mysterious organization called "V.F.D." They are reunited with Sunny and manage to escape from Olaf. The book has received positive reviews and been translated into several different languages.

<i>Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events</i> 2004 film by Brad Silberling

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a 2004 American adventure black comedy film directed by Brad Silberling from a screenplay by Robert Gordon, based on the first three novels of the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (1999), The Reptile Room (1999), and The Wide Window (2000), by Lemony Snicket. It stars Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, and Meryl Streep, and Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket.

<i>The End</i> (novel) 2006 childrens novel

The End is the thirteenth and final novel in the children's novel series A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The book was released on Friday, October 13, 2006.

<i>Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events</i> (video game) 2004 video game

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a 2004 action-adventure game based on the 2004 film of the same name. Players take the roles of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire, solving puzzles, fighting villains and finding objects. Players encounter characters such as Mr. Poe, Uncle Monty, and Aunt Josephine, along with villains such as Count Olaf, the Hook-Handed Man, the White-Faced Women, and the Bald Man with the Long Nose.

<i>The Beatrice Letters</i> 2006 book by Lemony Snicket

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The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events is the second and most recent studio album by indie pop band The Gothic Archies. It is a concept album whose songs are inspired by the thirteen books of Daniel Handler's book series A Series of Unfortunate Events and were originally included at the end of the audiobook editions of each novel.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lemony Snicket bibliography</span> Author bibliography

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<i>All the Wrong Questions</i> Childrens book series by Lemony Snicket

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<i>Who Could That Be at This Hour?</i>

Who Could That Be at This Hour? is the first novel of the children's novel series All the Wrong Questions by Lemony Snicket, a series set before the events of A Series of Unfortunate Events. The novel tells the story of a young Lemony Snicket, who is apprenticing for the V.F.D. under the worst-ranked agent, S. Theodora Markson. The book was published on October 23, 2012, by Little, Brown and Company and illustrated by Seth.

<i>A Series of Unfortunate Events</i> (TV series) American streaming television series

A Series of Unfortunate Events is an American black comedy drama streaming television series based on the book series of the same name by Lemony Snicket for Netflix. It stars Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Warburton, Malina Weissman, Louis Hynes, K. Todd Freeman, and Presley Smith. Dylan Kingwell, Avi Lake, and Lucy Punch join the cast in the second season.

References

  1. 1 2 Valby, Karen (2002-06-07). "Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography Review / Book Reviews and News / EW.com". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 2011-12-06.
  2. "A Series of Unfortunate Events: Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography / IndieBound". Indie Bound . Retrieved 2011-12-06. Publication Date: May 2002
  3. Roback, Diane (March 22, 2004). "Big Year for Harry, Lemony, Cat in Hat". Vol. 251. Publishers Weekly. pp. 35–43.

See also