Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist. For many years he wrote a newspaper column that appeared in more than 500 newspapers and generated thousands of letters from readers who thought he should be fired. One of Barry’s columns was largely responsible for the movement to observe “International Talk Like a Pirate Day” every year on September 19. This is probably his most enduring achievement.

He has written many bestselling books, including Lessons From Lucy and the novels Big Trouble, Lunatics, Tricky Business, and Insane City. His most recent novel, Swamp Story, will be published by Simon and Schuster in May 2023. Two of Barry’s books were the basis for the CBS sitcom Dave’s World. With co-author Ridley Pearson, Barry wrote the young-adult series of Starcatchers novels for Disney Publishing. The first book in that series was adapted by Rick Elice as a Broadway play, Peter and the Starcatcher, which won five Tony awards.

Barry plays guitar in the Rock Bottom Remainders, a barely competent rock band made up of authors, sometimes including Stephen King. The city of Grand Forks, North Dakota, named a sewage lifting station after Barry. Very few living authors can claim this honor.

He lives in Florida, and he likes it there, despite what everybody says.