Daniel Keyes

Daniel Keyes grew up in Brooklyn, and studied psychology at Brooklyn College. He took an interest in writing during his time in school, and after graduating he began working as the editor of the pulp science fiction magazine Marvel Science Stories, the precursor to Marvel Comics. It was during his time working for Marvel that Keyes developed the idea for the short story “Flowers for Algernon,” his most famous work. He published the story in 1959, and was honored for his work with a Hugo Award, the most prestigious honor given to American science fiction authors. Encouraged by his success, Keyes set to work converting his short story into a full-length novel. When he published the novel in 1966, it won the Nebula Award—the other most prestigious award given for American science fiction. After 1966, Keyes continued to write stories and novels, though none were remotely as successful as Flowers for Algernon. He taught creative writing at Wayne State University in Michigan until his death from pneumonia in 2014. He’s survived by two daughters.