# Daniel Martin Klein

Daniel Martin Klein (born 1939 in Wilmington, Delaware) is an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, and humor. His most notable works are Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar co-written with Thomas Cathcart. and Travels With Epicurus.

## Life

Klein went to school at Harvard College where he received a B.A. in philosophy. After a brief career in television comedy, he began writing books, ranging from thrillers and mysteries to humorous books about philosophy, including the New York Times bestseller, Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes (with Thomas Cathcart) and the London Times bestseller Travels With Epicurus. He lives in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and was married to Freke Quirine Vuijst (1952-2020) until her death from cancer . She was the American correspondent for the Dutch newsweekly, Vrij Nederland. Their daughter, Samara Quirine Klein, is Head librarian for the towns of Great Barrington and Housatonic MA.

## Awards

‘ForeWord Magazine' Book of the Year – Silver Award in Literary Fiction (2009) for novel, 'The History of Now'.

## List of books
### Non-fiction

* Travels with Epicurus: A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life, Penguin, 2012, ISBN 0143121936
* Heidegger and a Hippo Walk Through Those Pearly Gates: Using Philosophy (and Jokes!) to Explore Life, Death, the Afterlife, and Everything in Between, (with Thomas Cathcart), Viking, 2009. ISBN 0670020834
* Aristotle and an Aardvark Go to Washington: Understanding Political Doublespeak through Philosophy and Jokes, (with Thomas Cathcart), Abrams Books, 2008. ISBN 0810995417
* Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes, (with Thomas Cathcart), Abrams Books, 2007. ISBN 081091493X
* The Half-Jewish Book: A Celebration (with Freke Vuijst), Villard, 2000. ISBN 0375503854
* Every Time I Find the Meaning of Life, They Change It: Wisdom of the Great Philosophers on How to Live, Penguin, 2015 ISBN 0143126792
* I Think, Therefore I Draw: Understanding Philosophy Through Cartoons (with Thomas Cathcart), Penguin, 2018 ISBN 978-0143133025

### Thrillers and Mysteries

* Embryo, Doubleday, 1980. ISBN 0445046880
* Wavelengths, Doubleday, 1982. ISBN 0385174454
* Beauty Sleep, St. Martin's, 1990. ISBN 0312042647
* Kill Me Tender, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2002. ISBN 0312981953
* Blue Suede Clues, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2003. ISBN 0312986696
* Viva Las Vengeance, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2003. ISBN 0312288069
* Such Vicious Minds, St. Martin's Minotaur, 2004 ISBN 0312319401

### Novels

* Nothing Serious, Permanent Press, 2013. ISBN 978-1579623142
* The History of Now, Permanent Press, 2009. ISBN 1579621813
* Magic Time, Doubleday, 1984. ISBN 0385174527

### Plays

* The Jewish Jester, New Stage Performing Arts, Berkshire Theater Festival, Stockbridge, MA, 2013
* Mengelberg and Mahler, Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA, 2010

## Book reviews
### Nothing Serious

* Kirkus described the book as follows: "A hip editor takes the helm of Cogito, a stodgy philosophical journal, with mixed—and occasionally hilarious—results."
* New York Journal of Books reviewer Karl Wolff wrote, “. . . a rollicking farce . . . a tightly plotted comedic tale with a genuine emotional center and a sharp satirical wit.”