A Clockwork Orange

by Anthony Burgess

Overview

"Anthony Burgess reads chapters of his novel A Clockwork Orange with hair-raising drive and energy. Although it is a fantasy set in an Orwellian future, this is anything but a bedtime story." -The New York Times

Told by the central character, Alex, this brilliant, hilarious, and disturbing novel creates an alarming futuristic vision of violence, high technology, and authoritarianism. Anthony Burgess' 1963 classic stands alongside Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World as a classic of twentieth century post-industrial alienation, often shocking us into a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of free will and the conflict between good and evil. In this recording, the author's voice lends an intoxicating lyrical dimension to the language he has so masterfully crafted.

"I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done [in A Clockwork Orange]." -William S. Burroughs

Recognized as one of the literary geniuses of our time, Anthony Burgess produced thirty-two novels, a volume of verse, sixteen works of nonfiction, and two plays. Originally a composer, his creative output also included countless musical compositions, including symphonies, operas, and jazz. The author's musicality is evident in the lyrical and dramatic reading he gives in this recording. Anthony Burgess died in 1993.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393312836
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/17/1995
Series:	Norton Paperback Fiction Series
Edition description:	(Reissue, 1995)
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	1310L (what's this?)

About the Author

Anthony Burgess (1917–1993) is the author of many works, including The Wanting Seed, Nothing Like the Sun, and Re Joyce. A Clockwork Orange is one of the "100 best novels" of both Time magazine and Modern Library and is on David Bowie's Book List.

Andrew Biswell, PhD, is the author of The Real Life of Anthony Burgess.

What People are Saying About This

Roald Dahl

A terrifying and marvelous book.

Roald Dahl

A terrifying and marvelous book.
—(Roald Dahl)

William S. Burroughs

I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done here—the fact that this is also a very funny book may pass unnoticed.
—(William S. Burroughs)

Irvine Welsh

One of the most groundbreaking and influential novels of all time—and one of the best.

Editorial Reviews

"Looks like a nasty little shocker, but is really that rare thing in English letters: a philosophical novel."

Time

"A brilliant novel... a savage satire on the distortions of the single and collective minds."

New York Times

"A terrifying and marvelous book."

Roald Dahl

After his youthful adventures of raping and pillaging, Alex finds himself in prison. When he volunteers for an experiment, his sentence is commuted to two weeks. The experiment leaves him physically incapable of doing wrong and releases him back into the world. However, when he repeatedly runs into people he has wronged in the past, his real suffering begins. This audiobook gives new life to Burgess's tale of recklessly violent youth, free will and true redemption. While Malcolm McDowell forever infused viewers with the look of Alex in the film, Tom Hollander performs an even more amazing feat. With a smooth, almost lyrical, crisp voice, Hollander delivers Burgess's "nadsat" dialect to readers with such rhythmic cadence that listeners will easily understand the extensive slang used throughout the book. This unabridged production also includes the 21st chapter, which was not dramatized in the film or in the book's original U.S. publication. The audiobook opens with a brief note by Burgess on living with the book's legacy. The final CD features selected readings by Burgess from a previous recorded abridged version. While it's interesting to hear the older and gruffer voice, it does not compare to Hollander's performance. A Penguin paperback. (July)

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Publishers Weekly

Anthony Burgess reads chapters of his novel A Clockwork Orange with hair-raising drive and energy. Although it is a fantasy set in an Orwellian future, this is anything but a bedtime story.

The New York Times

"All Mr. Burgess’s powers as a comic writer, which are considerable, have gone into the rich language of his inverted Utopia."

Malcolm Bradbury

"Told in high-flying, pyrotechnic patois that’s since bled into the cultural lexicon, A Clockwork Orange is a postmodern triumph."

Esquire

"A nasty little shocker."

Times Literary Supplement

"A Clockwork Orange… is a book that can still be read with steady pleasure, continuous amusement and—at times—incredulous admiration."

Martin Amis

"I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done here—the fact that this is also a very funny book may pass unnoticed."

William S. Burroughs

"A fine farrago of outrageousness.… If you don’t take to it all, then I can’t resist calling you a starry ptitsa who can’t viddy a horrorshow veshch when it’s in front of your glazzies. And yarbles to you."

Kingsley Amis

"Extraordinary technical feat."

New Statesman

"One of the most groundbreaking and influential novels of all time—and one of the best."

Irvine Welsh

"Looks like a nasty little shocker, but is really that rare thing in English letters: a philosophical novel."

Time

Anthony Burgess’s 1963 novel was published with a glossary of the dystopian language used by Alex, the brutal teenage narrator. The quality of Tom Hollander’s performance, however, renders such help unnecessary. Hollander’s vocal suggestiveness, grasp of tone, and overall emotional resonance with the novel give listeners amazing clarity (especially if, like this reviewer, they’ve previously read the book relying on the glossary). You listen to Alex’s adventures, amazed at the clarity Hollander gives to such a verbally ambitious work. This recording also includes the last chapter of the novel (not published in the first American edition), Burgess’s later introduction to the book, and, from the Caedmon archives, Burgess himself reading excerpts. A rich, exceptional package. G.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2008 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

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