Flowers for Algernon

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Books
Genre:	Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author:	Daniel Keyes

I’m somewhat of a packrat with some items. Not many, but a few. I’d list them but it might cause concern and psychoanalysis would then ensue. One of the things that I’ve collected are some science fiction magazines. I subscribed to them in the mid 1990’s and never got around to reading them. The mid 90’s were a busy time. Tracy and I worked on our master’s programs and adoptions and, well, life sometimes got in the way of my reading pleasure. So, I have a shelf in the basement with unread science fiction magazines. I’ve since unsubscribed and when I do finish a mag, I do get rid of it. Well, I’m on May 2000 now and my “new” copy of Fantasy and Science Fiction offered a reprint of “Flowers for Algernon”.

Considering that the story is now over 53 years old and one of the most widely read sf stories, why it has taken this long for me to read it is something of a mystery. Now, this is the short story version, the one that won all the awards, and the one that F&SFM printed so many years ago. It is rather hard to find and so they reprinted it to re-acquaint readers with the story. It also included a few chapters of the author’s (Daniel Keyes) story on what went into the story. I actually found that very interesting.

To summarize the story, the protagonist, Charlie, had a low IQ and was a test subject for a medicine that would increase his intelligence. Several previous studies were also performed on mice, one of which was named Algernon. Charlie’s increase in intelligence is chronicled by himself and it reflects how society and individuals deal with people at different levels. It also mentions his frustration and his loves throughout the period. In an eventual decline, the story ends with a very poignant line, one which took me by surprise in the reaction I had. I quote, “P.P.S. Please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the back yard...”

The creation story was almost as interesting as the story itself. This man struggled to find the right way to present his story, taking different angles and viewpoints until he settled on a narrative. He patterned Charlie after a student he had when he was working as a substitute teacher. He presented one of his employers, Stan Lee, with a version and he also worked on a few of the pulp magazines of the time. This guy probably had more to do with the stories that I love so much than I ever realized. The sleepless nights when he worked on this story also struck home to me. I know that creative process but instead of fiction, I work with algorithms. I now feel a little bit closer to those who agonize trying to get the perfect work published and recognized.

It is a very, very good story, well deserving of all the praise that it has received.