Children’s author Daniel Handler, pen name Lemony Snicket, apologized on Thursday for a racial joke he made to a chilly reception at the National Book Award after intense backlash on social media.
On Wednesday night, the novelist joked about his surprise that black author Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the National Book Award for young people’s literature, was “allergic to watermelon.”
“Just let that sink in your mind,” Handler said, in a video captured by C-SPAN. He went on to say he needed the approval of several black writers and Barack Obama to put his observation in a book, to both laughter and grumbling from the crowd.
Thursday afternoon, the author tweeted an apology for his “ill-conceived attempts at humor.”
My job at last night’s National Book Awards #NBAwards was to shine a light on tremendous writers, including Jacqueline Woodson… -DH [1/2]
— Daniel Handler (@DanielHandler) November 20, 2014
…and not to overshadow their achievements with my own ill-conceived attempts at humor. I clearly failed, and I’m sorry. -DH [2/2]
— Daniel Handler (@DanielHandler) November 20, 2014
