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flowers for algernon

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flowers for algernon
This article is about the short story and novel. For the West End musical starring Michael Crawford, see Charlie and Algernon. For the Kyosuke Himuro album, see Flowers for Algernon (album).
Flowers for Algernon
FlowersForAlgernon.jpg
1st edition cover
Author Daniel Keyes
Country United States
Language English
Genre Science fiction
Publisher Harcourt, Brace & World
Publication date April 1959 (short story)
March 1966 (novel)
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 274 (novel)[1]
ISBN ISBN 0-15-131510-8 (first edition, hardback)
OCLC Number 232370
Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.[2] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).[3]
The eponymous Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence by artificial means. The story is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human test subject for the surgery, and it touches upon many different ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.[4]
Although the book has often been challenged for removal from libraries in the US and Canada,[5] sometimes successfully,[6] it is regularly taught in schools around the world[7] and has been adapted numerous times for television, theatre, radio and as the Academy Award–winning film Charly.
Contents [hide]
1 Background
2 Publication history
3 Synopsis
3.1 Short story
3.2 Novel
4 Style
5 Themes
6 Reception
6.1 Awards
6.2 Censorship
6.3 Inspiration
7 Film, television and theatrical adaptations
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
Background[edit]

The ideas for Flowers for Algernon developed over a period of 14 years and were inspired by numerous events in
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