by Anthony Burgess
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Book Description
"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.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 A Clockwork Orange, 2008-08-11
In response to one of other reviewers,
That, what you call "made-up slang" is a language called dsat which is more or less Russian words written using the English alphabet. "Horror Show" for example translates to "good", because if you say horrorshow in one word really fast, someone who understands Russian will likely think you are saying the word "good" in Russian. This language idiosyncrasy alone makes a good point of good vs. evil, which is one of the focuses of the book, where horror show actually means good.
I don't like to believe that this is a study, the author is obviously a genius.
I'm glad you enjoyed the book, and hopefully the film. A must read for anyone, especially those interested to be philosophically stimulated.
Don't forget, many of the ideas in this book are influenced by Nietzsche.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Good but have to work to get into, 2008-08-01
This book is very good. It hass undertones as to the situations that are presented in society now even though it was written so long ago. The disregard of youth for the laws that are put in place to protect them and ourselves leads to their inability to function in society and their eventual decomposition to vagrants that put weight on the already weighted prison system. Upon finding a seemingly just punishment and solution the spin doctors find a way not only to persecute the "afflicted" youth but also use it to defeat their own enemies. Very good book however the slang that he was praised for using and developing was very difficult to get into. It actually made me not want to read it at first but getting into it and eventually learning it allowed me to really enjoy the read.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
 A Clockwork Orange, 2008-07-14
I can see how people would find this book to be neat. It's defintely unique. I didn't enjoy it, though. I am a reader who likes to get swept onto the page and become the protagonist's shadow, and with this book's inventive language I found that impossible. I could never get into a flow because too often (every paragraph for at least the first seven chapters) I had to stop and figure out what the protagonist was trying to say. I nearly put it down for good when I got about halfway through it. I'm glad I pushed on, though, because the last third of the book--the point in which I had finally figured out enough of the protagonist's language to not have to work so hard--was pretty good.
If you like Shakespeare, you'll probably like this book.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Even better than the movie, 2008-06-26
The movie by Kubrick is excellent, and I had seen it before reading Burgess book. The book was much better than I expected. Though the film is visionary I must say the book is more fascinating and original; both gruesome and hilarious. Interesting to note is the very different ending in the book compared to the movie - obviously Burgess and Kubrick had different ideas. Go see the movie, then read the book, or vice versa!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Dark but Philosophical, 2008-06-08
Warning: This book is not for the faint of heart or the uptight. A Clockwork Orange is a very graphic and dark depiction of a sophisticated young man named Alex, who commits brutal acts of "ultraviolence" with his friends for pure aesthetic pleasure. However, it is also one of the most philosophically poignant books I've read, dealing with issues such as the nature of good and evil, the importance of free-will, and the inherent evils of government. This is definitely a must-read.
The most compelling aspect of the novel is Burgess' heavy use of a made-up teenage slang language called Nadsat (very appropriate commentary for our time, where today's teenage language of hip-hop vernacular and IM acronyms continues to puzzle adults). Although difficult to read at first, once you learn the Alex's language, you will become so absorbed in it that you may find yourself actually using Nadsat words without realizing it.
Also, if you have already seen Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation of A Clockwork Orange, do not pass over the book! It is much better in both style and meaning. At the very least (if you don't want to buy the book), stop by the bookstore and read the final chapter of the book, which Kubrick unfortunately decided to omit from his film. It fundamentally changes both the story and its message.
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