Daniel Keyes Biography

Daniel Keyes was an American writer, applauded by the science fiction community, and best known for writing Flowers for Algernon. Born into a Jewish family in New York, Keyes was pressurized into pursuing a medical career, eventually earning a degree in psychology. However, Keyes was keen to pursue a career in writing and eventually broke free of family pressures and started working for a magazine in New York City.

His rift with his parents was the principal source of inspiration for Flowers for Algernon, making him wonder about the conflict between intelligence and emotion.

Keyes worked for several magazines and enjoyed the fame he attained from his book in 1960. He began to teach creative writing in Ohio and retired to a life in Florida. He died from pneumonia complications in 2014.