Flowers for Algernon

[BookStop]

Aw- I just finished Flowers for Algernon. It was better than I expected.

 

[Paige Turner]

I just read it a couple months ago—part of my "catch up on the classics" initiative.

I did like the way it was handled, but he kind of projected the ending a bit.

 

[Alia]

I feel old. I read it back in High School and loved it.

 

[GOLLUM]

I haven't read it yet but it's an acknowldeged classic so I better get on with it huh?..

 

[weaveworld]

I really enjoyed it, it was sad and funny

 

[Brian G Turner]

This is one of the books we had to read in school, but I remember really enjoying it - the transformation of Charlie Gordon, both ways.

 

[Alia]

I didn't realize that the author wasn't ever mentioned in this thread. Flowers for Algernon is written by Daniel Keyes. Along with these books:

Novels
Flowers for Algernon (1966)
aka Charly
The Touch (1968)
aka The Contaminated Man
The Fifth Sally (1980)
Until Death... (1994)

Non Fiction Series
Billy Milligan
1. The Minds of Billy Milligan (1981)
2. The Milligan Wars (1994)
Unveiling Claudia: A True Story of Serial Murder (1986)
Algernon, Charlie and I: A Writer's Journey (1999)

Anthologies containing stories by Daniel Keyes
Stories of Suspense (1963)
Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories (1966)
The Road to Science Fiction 4: From Here to Forever (1997)

Short stories
Precedent (1952)
Robot Unwanted (1952)
Something Borrowed (1952)
The Trouble With Elmo (1952)
Flowers for Algernon (1959) Hugo
Crazy Maro (1960)
A Jury of its Peers (1963)
The Quality of Mercy (1966)
Spellbinder (1967)
Mama's Girl (1992)

Awards
Hugo Best Short story winner (1960) : Flowers for Algernon
Hugo Best Novel nominee (1967) : Flowers for Algernon
Nebula Best Novel winner (1967) : Flowers for Algernon

His Website:
http://www.danielkeyesauthor.com/

 

[mosaix]

So who's read both the short story and the novel? And which did you prefer and why?

 

[j d worthington]

I've read both, more than once. I must admit I prefer the short story because it is more concentrated in essence, and maintains the mood and the arc much better for the tragic effect, making an intensely powerful experience that I still cannot read (after more times than I can count) without finding a huge lump in my throat and tearing up. The novel I initially didn't care that much for (being used to the story), because I felt it was a dilution of that effect. They should be judged differently, though, as the novel wanders from issue to issue along Charlie's journey, much as life itself; when seen as his odyssey, with all the various changes rung fully developed, it becomes a glowing experience in its own right. However, I still feel that the short story has the advantage of single concentrated effect that hits with the force of a piledriver. The novel is more contemplative, and therefore the emotional impact is somewhat tempered by the intellectualized experience.