Erika Audrey O.

Nieto
11-G

1. Research on the biography of the author of the book you have chosen. State
the different significant events of the life of the author. You may use a minimum
of 100 words talking about the life of the author and things related/significant to
his life.

> Daniel keys was born on August 9, 1927 in Brooklyn, New york. He wrote the
scientific fiction classic, “Flowers for Algernon”, which won the Hugo Award as best
short fiction in 1960 and Nebula Award for best novel in 1966. The novel was
adapted into a 1968 film, “Charly”, and a 2000 film with the same title of the book. It
was also adapted as a musical, a stage play, a radio play and a modern dance piece.
Before he became a writer, he studied medicine and joined the U.S Maritime Service.
He graduated in Brooklyn College and received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in
1950 and a Master’s degree in English and American literature in 1961.

After the achievement of his novel, Flowers for Algernon, He taught english and
creative writing at Wayne State University, Detroit on 1961 to 1966 and Ohio
University on 1966-2000 and got a partnership with the McDowell fiction novels, He
also wrote psychological thrillers and non-fiction including and autobiography,
‘Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writers Journey, on 1999. In 2000, Daniel Keys was
honored with author emeritus status by the science fiction and fantasy writers of
America. Daniel keys died at his home in Boca Raton on June 15, 2014, due to
compliciations of pneumonia.

2. What similarities / differences you find between the life of the author and the
plot of the story. How do you think the life of the author is reflected on the novel/
story He/She has written. If it is not applicable, support your answer. Discuss
your insights in 100 words as well.

> Daniel Keyes developed the idea, story, character, and style for "Flowers for
Algernon" over a fourteen-year period. In 1945 he was having issues with his parents
pushing him to fulfill a pre-medical education. His education was driving a wedge
between him and the people he loved. He wanted to write, not be a pre-med student at
NYU. He then had the idea of "artificially increasing human intelligence" on the
subway. He then had a story line and a few passages written out, but was still missing
the protagonist. He fiddled with different types of characters, but none fit just right.
He said that He wanted a character who would be memorable and with whom the
reader and and Him could identify,. someone with a strong motivation and goal who
evoked a response from other characters, someone whose inner life gave him a human
dimension.

In 1957, after receiving his Masters in American Literature and his New York English
teaching license, he taught English at his old high school. He taught two Modified
English classes for lower I.Q. students. There was one boy who told him and said “I
know this is a dummy class, and I wanted to ask you. If I try hard and I get smart by
the end of the term, will you put me in a regular class? I want to be smart" He started
writing stories around the idea of the gifted and the slow, comparing the two types of
students.

It was not until 1958 when H. L. Gold called wanting Keyes to write a second story
for Galaxy that he finally put his idea together with the character. He said "Recalling
Aristotle's dictum in his Poetics, that a tragedy can happen only to the highborn,
because there can be a tragic fall only from a great height, I thought, let's test that.
What if someone the world views as the lowest of the low, a mentally handicapped
young man, climbs to the peak of Book Mountain, the heights of genius? And then
loses it all. I felt myself choking up as I thought about it" .

Aurea, Keyes's wife, was working for the Larry Gordon Studio at the time, and her
last boyfriend and Keyes's rival's name was Charlie. He decided to have the mouse
"forecast events connected with the experiment" and named the mouse after Algernon
Swinburne because he thought the name was unusual. In addition, Keyes modeled
Strauss and Nemur from his old psychiatrist and professors he encountered in
graduate school.

Keyes did not publish with Galaxy because Gold wanted Charlie's operation to be
permanent, making the ending happier. Instead, Keyes published with The Magazine
of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1959 after cutting out 10,000 words.