A Clockwork Orange

A new critical edition to celebrate the 50th anniversary of A Clockwork Orange - one of the most influential books of the twentieth centuryThe fully restored fiftieth anniversary editionForeword by Martin AmisFirst published by William Heinemann in 1962, A Clockwork Orange is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. This special edition, compiled and edited by Andrew Biswell, Burgess's biographer, restores the text of the novel as Burgess originally wrote it, and includes a selection of interviews, articles, reviews and other previously unpublished material.

“A terrifying and marvellous book.”

-- Roald Dahl
A brilliant novel . . . a tour-de-force in nastiness, an inventive primer in total violence, a savage satire on the distortions of the single and collective minds. -- The New York Times
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 Burroughs
Burgess’s dystopian fantasy still fascinates as it clocks up 50 years The Times
The 50th anniversary of Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange is celebrated this weekend with the publication of a handsome new hardback edition (the edges of its paper are orange!) by Random House (£20). It is compiled and edited by Andrew Biswell – Burgess's biographer – and has a foreword by Martin Amis, as well as unpublished material including a 1972 interview with Burgess, the prologue to his 1986 A Clockwork Orange: A Play With Music, and his annotated 1961 typescript of the novel, complete with his doodles in the margins. His picture of an orange with a spring poking out of it is particularly special Independent

Anthony Burgess was born in Manchester in 1917. He served in the army from 1940 to 1954 before becoming a colonial education officer. It was while he held this post that doctors told him he would die, and he decided to try to live by writing.He achieved a worldwide reputation as one of the leading novelists of his day, and one of the most versitile. His writings include criticism, scripts and translations, and a Broadway musical, and he composed three symphonies which have been publicly performed in the USA. His books have been published all over the world and include A Clockwork Orange, The Clockwork Testament, Inside Mr Enderby, Enderby's Dark Lady, Earthly Powers, Abba Abba and The End of the World News.Anthony Burgess died in 1993.

THE FULLY RESTORED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY EDITION A Clockwork Orange is one of the most unusual and enjoyable novels we have ever published. But it is only fair to warn unadventurous readers that to reap their enjoyment they will have to make a small effort: we guarantee, however, that the effort itself will prove enjoyable. A Clockwork Orange is the scarifying autobiographical confession of Alex, a juvenile delinquent of the unspecified but not very distant future, who tells the tale of his own criminal excesses and his 're-education' in the peculiar slang of his generation. It will take the reader no more than fifteen pages to master and revel in the expressive language of 'nadsat' after that he has before him an easily digestible feast of picaresque villainy and social satire. The book can be read as a straight horror comedy, or, on a deeper level, as a fable of good and evil and the importance of human choice. As the genial Alex himself might put it, 'It is a horrorshow story, which will either make you smeck like bezoomny or bring the old tears to your glazzies.' Edited by Andrew Biswell, introduced by Martin Amis, and including original reviews, essays, illustrations and music - this is the definitive edition of one of the most influential novels of the twentieth century.

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