My books are shelved in different places, depending on the

In the words of Carl Hiaasen, “My books are shelved in different places, depending on the bookstore. Sometimes they can be found in the Mystery section, sometimes in the Humor department, and occasionally even in the Literature aisle, which is somewhat astounding.”
Though spoken with his trademark wit, these words carry a deeper reflection on the nature of identity, art, and the human need to categorize what cannot easily be confined. Hiaasen, a writer whose work defies simple labels, speaks not only of books and shelves, but of life itself — for in his humor lies wisdom: that what we create, and what we are, often belong to many realms at once. The world loves order, but the soul thrives in complexity.

When he marvels that his works drift between Mystery, Humor, and Literature, Hiaasen is touching upon a universal truth — that creativity, like life, refuses to be placed neatly upon a single shelf. To some, his stories are filled with intrigue and deception, fit for the Mystery section; to others, his sharp wit and satire make him at home among Humorists; and to a few, his mastery of language and insight into human folly earns him a place among the Literati. Yet he claims none of these as his sole domain. In his astonishment, there is humility, but also quiet triumph — for it is a rare gift when one’s voice resists confinement. To belong everywhere is, in truth, to belong deeply to oneself.

The origin of this wisdom is ancient. The Greeks, who first sought to categorize the arts into tragedy and comedy, also knew that great works often crossed those boundaries. Aristophanes, for example, mocked philosophers and politicians while revealing profound truths about human vanity. His plays were both laughter and lament, both satire and art. So too did Shakespeare, centuries later, unite Mystery, Humor, and Literature in a single breath — for what is Hamlet but a tragedy filled with dark wit, and what is A Midsummer Night’s Dream but comedy elevated to poetry? Like Hiaasen, these artists knew that truth cannot be boxed. It wanders freely through the categories made by men.

To be placed in many aisles, as Hiaasen’s books are, is not confusion — it is recognition of the many facets of truth. For the human spirit itself is not one thing. We are, at once, tragic and comic, profound and absurd. The same heart that solves mysteries also delights in laughter, and the same mind that contemplates philosophy can marvel at a clever joke. Hiaasen’s reflection reminds us that art, like life, thrives in paradox. When the world insists on dividing — this is serious, that is funny, this is art, that is mere entertainment — the true artist unites them again. He reminds us that beauty often hides beneath laughter, and wisdom behind absurdity.

Consider the story of Mark Twain, whose Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was once dismissed as simple humor, only to later be hailed as a masterpiece of American Literature. Twain, like Hiaasen, used laughter to reveal what was tragic and hidden — the hypocrisy of society, the cruelty of prejudice, the search for freedom. His book, too, wandered the shelves of critics and booksellers, never quite belonging to one place. And yet, it has endured precisely because it could not be confined. Its humor was not frivolous, its mystery not hollow, its insight not proud — it was all of these, and more.

In truth, Hiaasen’s observation is a mirror for every creator, every thinker, every soul who has ever wondered where they “fit.” The world, eager for simplicity, will try to shelve us neatly — this one belongs here, that one belongs there. But the human spirit was not made for aisles and categories. We are mystery, for no one fully knows us; we are humor, for we stumble and laugh in our imperfection; and we are literature, for our lives are stories being written each day. To live authentically is to accept that we may not fit into any single section, and that this — as Hiaasen says — is “somewhat astounding.”

Thus, let this be the lesson of Carl Hiaasen’s words: do not fear being uncategorizable. Whether in art, in work, or in life, do not shrink yourself to fit the labels others offer. Create from your truth, not their expectations. Let your life, like Hiaasen’s books, find its place in many aisles — for those who transcend boundaries enrich every shelf they touch. The ancient sages knew that the most profound wisdom hides in contradictions; so too should we learn to embrace the fullness of what we are — the serious and the silly, the deep and the light, the mysterious and the joyful.

And so, dear listener, remember this: when the world tries to place you on a single shelf, smile and wander. Be a little mystery, a little humor, a little literature. Live so fully that no label can hold you. For to be found in many aisles is not to be lost — it is to be vast, to be alive, and to be, like all great art, astounding.