In a late memoir, Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writer's Journey ( 2000), Keyes describes the composition of the tale, and its personal consequences to his own life.

His treatment as an object of scientific curiosity throughout his ordeal underlines the book's points about deficiencies in the scientific method as applied to human beings. Even before this point, however, the tale has explored Charlie's profound sense of estrangement in a world of normal humans, his embitterment being registered in terms reminiscent of the anguish of the Frankenstein Monster and the last pages of the novel, detailing in Charlie's own words the loss of his faculties, are extremely moving. The mouse Algernon has preceded him in this course, but Algernon soon dies, and Gordon's main contribution to science is his working out of the 'Algernon-Gordon Effect', by which 'artificially induced intelligence deteriorates at a rate of time directly proportional to the quantity of the increase'. Like the mouse Algernon, who has already been experimented upon, Charlie's intelligence is artificially increased to genius level (see Medicine Superman), a process exhilaratingly narrated through a sequence of Conceptual Breakthroughs. Something over five million copies have been sold.įlowers for Algernon is the story, in his own words (largely in epistolary form), of Charlie Gordon, a man in early middle age who longs to improve himself, though his IQ is 68 (see Intelligence).

It is arguably the most popular sf novel ever published, partly because it has been very widely taught in schools, despite controversy aroused by its inclusion of some Sex as the protagonist matures it has remained constantly in print since 1966, in more than one language. He is known mainly for one excellent novel, Flowers for Algernon (April 1959 F&SF exp 1966), winner of a 1960 Hugo in its magazine form and of a 1966 Nebula for the full-length book version the book was filmed as Charly ( 1968) and has also been adapted into other media, including Radio, stage and Television versions for further details of the many adaptations, see Flowers for Algernon. He began his sf career as associate editor of Marvel Science Fiction (see Marvel Science Stories), February-November 1951, and began publishing work of genre interest in that magazine with 'Precedent' in 1952. (1927-2014) US author and university lecturer in English.

1966 novel by daniel keyes