Daniel Keyes was an American author best known for his novel Flowers for Algernon. Published in 1959, the novel follows the story of a mentally disabled man named Charlie Gordon who undergoes experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. The novel was adapted into the 1968 film Charly, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Keyes was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1927. He attended Brooklyn College and later served in the United States Navy during World War II. After the war, he returned to college and earned a master's degree in English. He then began writing short stories and novels, eventually publishing Flowers for Algernon in 1959. The novel was an immediate success, winning the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960. It was later adapted into the 1968 film Charly, which won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Keyes also wrote several other novels, including The Touch, The Fifth Sally, and Algernon, Charlie, and I. Keyes was a prolific writer, and his works have been translated into more than 20 languages. He was also a professor of English at Ohio University, where he taught for more than 20 years. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 86.