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Overview
"Flowers for Algernon" is a story written by Daniel Keyes that has been required reading for high school students, although it has been banned by some school boards around the United States. The story of a mentally slow man who briefly, perhaps even tragically, becomes a genius was adapted for the big screen under the title "Charly" and won actor Cliff Robertson an Oscar for his portrayal of the title role. The genesis of "Flowers for Algernon" is a bit muddled because it was originally published as a short story before becoming a full-length novel and then a screenplay.
The Idea
The initial spark for "Flowers for Algernon" came on a subway ride in 1945. Author Daniel Keyes wanted desperately to become a writer, but his parents were insistent on his becoming a pre-med student at New York University. One day while riding the subway to class, Keyes was struck with an idea that combined his passion with his studies. The question he asked himself became the basis for a short story: What might happen to someone if it were possible to scientifically increase intelligence?
Further Inspiration
The idea was still boiling in his mind when Daniel Keyes was a teacher in 1957. One day, a student asked him that if he tried really hard and got smart, could be taken out of a remedial class and get into an advanced class. Keyes quickly realized that this concept fit perfectly with his still unwritten idea for that story that haunted his mind since that day on the subway.
Sticking to His Guns
One year later, an editor from "Galaxy" called Daniel Keyes to request a story for the science fiction magazine. Keyes had by then outlined the entire story, but when the editor realized that Charlie lost his newfound intelligence and the ending was downbeat, he urged Keyes to change the ending to make it happier. Keyes flatly refused and spent the next few months working on the shorty story as he envisioned it before sending it to a rival magazine called "The Magazine of Science Fiction and Fantasy."
Publication
The short story "Flowers for Algernon" was published as the lead story in the April 1959 issue. The story was an instant success. In 1960, Daniel Keyes accepted a Hugo Award (an award given for the best in science fiction) for the year's best science fiction novelette.
The Novel
After the short story of "Flowers for Algernon" was reprinted in several anthologies and became a successful TV drama titled "The Two Worlds of Charlie Gordon," Daniel Keyes was inspired to expand the story to a novel. The novel version of "Flowers for Algernon" was written during the early 1960s and was finally published in 1966. The novel was also a huge commercial and critical success and even tied for a Nebula Award for Best Science Fiction novel with "Babel-17" in 1966, becoming just the second winner of the prestigious award.
