Who is Dudley Danes?

Dudley Danes is something of an enigma. He is a content creator, humorist, creative writer, poet, amateur etymologist, social misfit, and ponderer. Though he is mostly unknown to the general public, his wide array of literary interests and pursuits are almost certain to garner future attention. This website serves as his portfolio & playground.

Dudley currently resides in North County San Diego in an undisclosed shed on his manager's property. He writes full time and believes that his residence is too lavish for his simple tastes.

Not much is known about Dudley's true past. He has, by design, kept himself and his talents hidden away and would happily remain in obscurity if not for a lucky circumstance and a very insistent new manager  (that's me). He is here now, however, and under my watch.

What I can reveal here is fairly limited. You see, Dudley Danes is a liar. His personal anecdotes often contain elements of exaggeration or color. So much so, that one may wonder if Dudley's true desire is to be disbelieved, especially when these very same anecdotes evolve with every retelling and occasionally even breach the realm of the impossible or the supernatural. He has himself referred to his "creative memory," which not only indicates an open awareness of his fabrications, but may actually reveal him to be more of a calculated (rather than pathological) liar. Most likely, Dudley simply prefers fiction over reality, and damn the facts of the matter. This attitude is certainly true of several of the characters he has invented.

Even for those few of us who have spent time with him, it is difficult to separate truth from fiction. He doesn't like personal questions, is often quite snarky, and prefers to communicate strictly in writing. 

Here is what I can relay with confidence: 

- Dudley Danes has a creative but unpolished mind unlike any I have ever encountered.

- He passionately believes that his creations are "Entertainment. Not art." This is not up for debate, believe me. 

- He is passionate about escapism.

- He has a family with whom he has a strained but active relationship, and

- His new manager (me again) is often beset by terrible headaches because he believes in what Dudley represents, and he wants Dudley to reach his full potential. This, despite the fact that Dudley seems to enjoy making this as difficult as possible.

Dudley tends to focus on characters who prefer imagination to reality. Not only does this characteristic reflect that of Dudley himself, but it highlights Dudley's stated mission to "create escapist literature that serves idle amusement [rather than] to produce truth in polished masterpieces. 

Another characteristic of Dudley's work is an element of narcissism. Many of his stories feature a character or characters named Dudley. These Dudleys can range in scope and value to the story, and often present conflicting representations of the man, if that is indeed his purpose for their inclusion. For instance, in "On the Nature of Pirates" (link will be provided soon), Dudley is a young man with a somewhat naïve outlook and a dangerous imagination, whereas in My Frozen Britches (not linked), Dudley is the name of a penguin who shits ice cream.

The narcissism begins and ends in Dudley's writing, however. The Dudley we encounter through his blogs and essays is often humble and relatable, rarely presenting "self" as having any element of importance. His long avoidance of cameras and public speaking is rather un-narcissistic, as is his habit of substituting his own image with stock photos and renderings of dissimilar older gentlemen. He has only recently agreed to allow his true image to appear with his work. This was a major victory for his support  team.

Whoever the real Dudley is, and whatever the reasons for his eccentricities, DudleyDanes.com is his living portfolio. Here, he will post many of his newest drafts, often in a rough or lightly edited format as well as occasional links to published material. Here he will post, rant, share, lie, and live. And it is entirely for your entertainment.

Welcome. And may you, like Dudley, never look at life the same way twice.