Fun Facts Friday: Daniel Keyes

Daniel Keyes (9 August, 1927 – 15 June, 2014) was an American author best known for his novel Flowers for Algernon.

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1. Mr. Keyes was born in New York City, NY.
2. At age 17 he joined the United States Maritime Service, after a short stint in New York University.
3. By 1950 Mr. Keyes returned home and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Brooklyn College.
4. Mr. Keyes was the editor of Marvel Science Stories, a pulp magazine published by Magazine Management, and also wrote for the company’s comic book line, Atlas Comics.
5. When Magazine Management stooped publishing comics and pulp stores Mr. Keyes took the job of associate editor of Atlas. His boss and editor-in-chief was another Jewish New York native named Stanley Martin Lieber, later known simply as Stan Lee. Atlas Comics went on to become Marvel Comics.
6. During his time at Atlas, Mr. Keyes started to turn in story ideas of his own. One of them, “Branstorm”, later evolved into Flowers for Algernon.
7. Flowers for Algernon, written as a short story in 1958 won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.
8. Published as a novel in 1966, Flowers for Algernon won the Nebula Award for Best Novel that year (it was nominated for the Hugo Award, but lost to Robert A. Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress).
9. Mr. Keyes taught create writing in Wayne State University and at Ohio University where he became professor emeritus.
10. In the year 2000, Mr. Keyes was proclaimed Author Emeritus by the Science Fictiohttps://www.sfwa.org/n and Fantasy Writers of America.

Book by Daniel Keyes*

Zohar — Man of la Book
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