A writer with incredible intellect, Anthony Burgess is best known for his novel, A Clockwork Orange, that portrays a disturbed youth who is violent and feels rejected by society.
Early Life of Anthony Burgess
Anthony Burgess was born into a Catholic family on February 25, 1917 in Manchester, U.K. His father was a pianist, and his mother was a musical comedy performer who died when Burgess was only a year old.
He studied at Manchester University before serving in the Army Education Corps in World War II. He also spent several years abroad working as an education officer for the British government. In his late 30s he began writing as a hobby. Many of is early novels were inspired by his experiences in Southeast Asia.
Burgess' A Clockwork Orange
In 1942, while doing his army service, Burgess received news from London that his wife Llewela had been badly assaulted; as a result, she miscarried their expected first child. This incident is thought to have provided him the idea for the most violent scene in his most famous novel, A Clockwork Orange. In the story, a writer and his wife are viciously attacked.
A Clockwork Orange was first published when Burgess was 45. He used made-up slang language and set a near-future England. The plot tells of a young, violent thug who served his time in prison and later brainwashed into becoming a member of a society that will accept him. The violence, heightened in the 1971 film version, provoked controversy.
Themes of Burgess Work
Aside from addressing social concerns, Anthony Burgess was preoccupied with the relationship between literature, language and music. In A Clockwork Orange, he was inspired to crime by listening to Beethoven's music. The composer also provided the theme for his later book, Napoleon Symphony. Burgess also verbalized the last movement of Mozart's famous Symphony No.40, K551 with his Mozart and the Wolf Gang.
At 42, Burgess was diagnosed as having a brain tumour. In an effort to provide for his wife after his death, he wrote five novels in just one year. He survived the tumour and wrote more than 50 novels. He died at the age of 76, November 25,1993.
Works by Anthony Burgess
- Time for a Tiger, 1956
- The Enemy in the Blanket, 1958
- Beds in the East, 1959
- The Doctor is Sick, 1960
- The Worm and the Ring, 1961
- A Clockwork Orange, 1962
- The Long Day Wanes, 1964
- Enderby Outside, 1968
- Napoleon Symphony, 1974
- Ernest Hemingway and His World, 1978
- Man of Nazareth, 1979
- Earthly Powers, 1980
- You've Had Your Time, 1989
- Mozart and the Wolf Gang, 1991
Sources:
- Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994.
- McGovern, Una, Ed. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002.
- Ousby, Ian. The Cambridge Guide to Literature in English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
- Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997.
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