Flowers For Algernon - Daniel Keyes

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Flowers For Algernon is the science fiction story of Daniel Keyes ("soft" science fiction). Originally published in the April issue of the Journal of Fantasy and Science Fiction for 1959. Award "Hugo" for the best short science fiction story (1960).

Later, Kiz completed the story before the full-fledged novel Flowers For Algernon (under the same title), which won the award "Nebula" as the best novel in 1966.

The ideas of the novel were formed for 14 years and were inspired by various events from the life of Kiz. It all began in 1945 with his conflict with his parents, who insisted on passing courses for those entering medical schools, despite his desire to become a writer. He felt that education drives a wedge between him and his parents, and this led him to the question of increasing intelligence. The main events occurred in 1957, when Keez taught English at a school for children with intellectual disabilities; one of the students asked him if he could transfer to a regular school if he was diligently engaged and would become clever.

Other characters from the book Flowers For Algernon also have prototypes of people from the life of Kiz. Algernon was inspired by the dissection classes at the university, and his name was taken from the poet Algernon Charles Swinburn. The images of Nemyur and Strauss - scientists who developed the surgery for increasing intelligence - are based on professors whom Kiz met while studying psychoanalysis.

In 1958, Kiz brought his story to the journal Galaxy Science Fiction, where the editor suggested that he change the ending. In the new ending Charlie had to keep his intellect, to marry Alice Kinnian and live happily ever after. Kiz refused to change and sold the story to the magazine Fantasy & Science Fiction.

In the period from 1962 to 1965, Kiz worked on the creation of the novel according to his story and at first tried to sell it in Doubleday, but at the publishing house, and subsequently in five others, he was refused and offered to change the ending. In the end, the book Flowers For Algernon was published by Harcourt in 1966.