I first read the short story in 1965 or so, when I was only 10. I still remember it as being one of the saddest stories I’ve ever read; it just wiped me out as a child, and the memory of the terrible, irreversible loss still defines the way I look at (and fear) the possibility of stroke or Alzheimer’s Disease.
Brilliant, memorable book. Can’t agree about the movie though; compared to the book the film is dumbed-down and very dated.
I found the novella version much more powerful since it could be read easily in one go. That and Keith Roberts’ Pavane were the first indications I ever got as a kid of science fiction as literary.
It’s been a long time since I read it, and it’s an absolute masterpiece, so I’m not sure if I’ve read it twice, or just the once…
IMO SF is as good as fiction gets, and Flowers for Algernon is as good as SF gets. Vale Keyes.
A milestone book for me way back. Etched in my mind to this day.
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