Tuesday 21 October 2008

Flowers for Algernon

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Just have come back from the theatre. And I am absolutely disorganized and my mind is torn into pieces. So strong performance. The leading character, Charlie, was played by the actor who is on the wheel chair so the whole stage direction was subordinated to this fact. So brilliantly. The shadows and light were used a lot, and the dramatic effect was huge. Wonderful. Perhaps I am not going to sleep tonight...
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The play was called Flowers for Algernon. It is a dramatization of the short story by Daniel Keyes (who later expanded the story into a novel).



Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have an IQ of about 68? How would people treat you? How would you feel about yourself? Would you want to become "smarter"? If someone you respected came to you and told you they could make you smarter, would you take them up on their offer?


Until he was thirty-two, Charlie Gordon --gentle, amiable, oddly engaging-- had lived in a kind of mental twilight. He knew knowledge was important and had learned to read and write after a fashion, but he also knew he wasn't nearly as bright as most of the people around him. There was even a white mouse named Algernon who outpaced Charlie in some ways. But a remarkable operation had been performed on Algernon, and now he was a genius among mice. Suppose Charlie underwent a similar operation...



Published by Harcourt Brace (1966) and by Bantam Books (1967). Reissued in the Harcourt Brace Modern Classics series (1995).

"HUGO AWARD" for short story, "Flowers for Algernon," 1959,
"NEBULA AWARD" for novel version, Flowers for Algernon, 1966.

(www. http://www.danielkeyesauthor.com and http://www.thematzats.com)



For more information go to see the article here, for one of the reviews go here, and to download the novel for free let´s check this site.


Note: Just a small comment on the spelling and language used in the novel - don´t be surprised while reading it. Yes, those mistakes are there on purpose. Keep on reading and you´ll understand.

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5 comments:

Unknown said...

Charlie is actually 37, well at least he is in the short story. My class is reading this short story currently and I think it is great.

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, may all your wishes come true!

Anonymous said...

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