Dave Barry Takes a Sabbatical

Posted on October 20, 2004

The Miami Herald reports that Dave Barry is taking an indefinite leave of absence from writing his Pulitzer Prize-winning humor column, starting next year. And he hasn't decided if he's coming back.

Barry says, "I've never not had a column in a week in all of 30 years, even when I went on vacation. At some point I said, 'Well, maybe it'll be OK to not do it for a while.' And I didn't want to wait until I hated it and I didn't want to wait until I thought, 'Oh, I've got no more columns to write.'"

Barry will be spending more time with his wife and 4 year old daughter during his sabbatical. He will also work on a new book, and finish filming the screen version of his book, Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys, which stars Dave Barry as himself and John Cleese as a British expert on "guydom." "Part of the reason for taking a year off is to find out if I just can't stand not being able to write," Barry said. For those with withdrawal symptoms, you can always check out his blog. We're sure going to miss his column.