Daniel Keyes

Author profile

born

in Brooklyn, New York, The United States

August 09, 1927

gender

male

website

http://www.danielkeyesauthor.com

genre

Literature & Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy

About this author

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Daniel Keyes is an American author best known for his Hugo award-winning short story and Nebula award-winning novel Flowers for Algernon. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.

Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Maritime Service as ship's purser.He obtained a B.A. in psychology from Brooklyn College, and after a stint in fashion photography (partner in a photography studio), earned a Master's Degree in English and American Literature at night while teaching English in New York City public schools during the day and writing weekends.

In the early 1950s, he was editor of the pulp magazine Marvel Science Fiction for publisher Martin...more Daniel Keyes is an American author best known for his Hugo award-winning short story and Nebula award-winning novel Flowers for Algernon. Keyes was given the Author Emeritus honor by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 2000.

Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Maritime Service as ship's purser.He obtained a B.A. in psychology from Brooklyn College, and after a stint in fashion photography (partner in a photography studio), earned a Master's Degree in English and American Literature at night while teaching English in New York City public schools during the day and writing weekends.

In the early 1950s, he was editor of the pulp magazine Marvel Science Fiction for publisher Martin Goodman. Circa 1952, Keyes was one of several staff writers, officially titled editors, who wrote for such horror and science fiction comics as Journey into Unknown Worlds, for which Keyes wrote two stories with artist Basil Wolverton. From 1955-56, Keyes wrote for the celebrated EC Comics, including its titles Shock Illustrated and Confessions Illustrated,under both his own name and the pseudonyms Kris Daniels, A.D. Locke and Dominik Georg.

The short story and subsequent novel, Flowers for Algernon, is written as progress reports of a mentally disabled man, Charlie, who undergoes experimental surgery and briefly becomes a genius before the effects tragically wear off. The story was initially published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and the expanded novel in 1966. The novel has been adapted several times for other media, most prominently as the 1968 film Charly, starring Cliff Robertson (who won an Academy Award for Best Actor) and Claire Bloom. He also won the Hugo Award in 1959 and the Nebula Award in 1966.

Keyes went on to teach creative writing at Wayne State University, and in 1966 he became an English and creative writing professor at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, where he was honored as a professor emeritus in 2000.

Keyes' other books include The Fifth Sally, The Minds of Billy Milligan, The Touch, Unveiling Claudia, and the memoir Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey.

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Daniel Keyes's Books

Average rating: 3.92 · 146,498 ratings · 5,151 reviews · 40 distinct works · Similar authors

	Flowers for Algernon 3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 avg rating — 141,546 ratings — published 1959 — 106 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Minds of Billy Milligan 3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 avg rating — 1,999 ratings — published 1981 — 34 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fifth Sally 3.94 of 5 stars 3.94 avg rating — 171 ratings — published 1980 — 8 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey 3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 avg rating — 145 ratings — published 2000 — 7 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Claudia - Kisah Nyata Gadis Cantik, Kegilaan, dan Pembunuhan 2.99 of 5 stars 2.99 avg rating — 83 ratings — published 1986 — 6 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Asylum Prophecies 3.04 of 5 stars 3.04 avg rating — 51 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Touch 3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 1971 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Play of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Bert Coules (Adaptation), Robert Chambers (Introduction) 4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 avg rating — 22 ratings — published 1993	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	ყვავილები ელჯერნონისთვის / ცელი / არენა by Daniel Keyes, Ray Bradbury, Fredric Brown 4.75 of 5 stars 4.75 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2007	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flowers for Algernon: Reproducible Teaching Unit by Daniel Keyes, James S. Scott (Editor) 4.6 of 5 stars 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Daniel Keyes

“Thank God for books and music and things I can think about."

--Charlie Gordan”
― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

tags: book, books, music

144 people liked it

“I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.”
― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

139 people liked it

“Its easy to make frends if you let pepul laff at you.”
― Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon

tags: friendship

128 people liked it

See all Daniel Keyes's quotes »

Polls

What frequently challenged or banned book for adults should we read in August and September?

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

24 votes, 19.5%

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

18 votes, 14.6%

Carrie by Stephen King

16 votes, 13.0%

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

13 votes, 10.6%

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

12 votes, 9.8%

The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell

11 votes, 8.9%

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

8 votes, 6.5%

Native Son by Richard Wright

8 votes, 6.5%

Final Exit (Third Edition): The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying by Derek Humphry

7 votes, 5.7%

Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

6 votes, 4.9%

123 total votes

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