I came across an old copy of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I earlier today and the bizarre notion struck me to wonder how many authors from this collection are still alive? As best as I can determine it’s four (five if you count editor Robert Silverberg) but I’m not sure. Is Daniel Keyes, the author of Flowers for Algernon still alive? Wikipedia doesn’t list his death but it might have been missed. Keyes’ website also indicates he was alive as recently as last year but hasn’t been updates since then.
The database Contemporary Authors (subscription only so no link available unfortunately) is updated weekly and lists him as still alive.
It lists his most recent new work as Algernon, Charles and I: a Writer’s Journey published in 2000.
As far as I know, he’s still alive, and lives in Florida after retiring as a college psychology professor. I really like his writing. In addition to the very famous Flowers for Algernon, he wrote a book called “The Fifth Sally,” about a woman with multiple personalities, which is one of me and my best friend’s favorite books. It’s out of print, but you can get it from Amazon Marketplace and places like that. It’s really interesting, for me, to read books about people with mental differences/problems written by someone with real psychology training. I’ve always thought that all authors should take some psychology classes; after all, if you’re creating people who are only personalities, and have no physical reality (like the characters in books), it is a real asset to be up on the latest theories on how people’s minds work.
(And, now, Meenie rides the tangent off into the distance…)
Yeah, meenie, I think you’re right. That’s one more reason I’m thinking if I go back to school, I’ll skip the classic humanities courses, & go with psych/social/anthro/economics.
So it’s Bradbury, Clarke, Matheson, and Keyes who are still alive?