Dan O'Keefe (writer)

Daniel Lawrence O'Keefe is a former editor at Reader's Digest,[1] author, and the inventor of Festivus, an annual secular holiday now celebrated on December 23. His son, also named Daniel, was a writer for the Seinfeld television show and incorporated the family holiday into an episode of the program.[1]

O'Keefe published the book Stolen Lightning: The Social Theory of Magic in 1982.[2] The Los Angeles Times Book Review called this book "a spectacular synthesis of sociology, anthropology, and psychoanalysis... a tour de force of accessible scholarship." [3]

The New York Times Book Review called it "a powerful explication of how deeply magic is embedded in society," and Commonweal dubbed it "a potential classic." [4]

Festivus

Main article: Festivus

O'Keefe invented Festivus in 1966 to commemorate his wife's and his first date. Their son, Daniel, later worked as a screenwriter for the American television show Seinfeld, and during the 1997 season introduced Festivus to the public in a Seinfeld episode named "The Strike".

References

  1. ^ a b Allen Salkin (December 19, 2004). "Fooey to the World: Festivus Is Come". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/19/fashion/19FEST.html. Retrieved 2010-12-23. 
  2. ^ Mark Glazer (January 2, 1983). "How Magic Works". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/02/books/how-magic-works.html. Retrieved 2010-12-23. 
  3. ^ review cited on front cover of Vintage Books 1983 edition. 
  4. ^ both reviews cited on back cover of Vintage Books 1983 edition.