A Clockwork Orange

I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language ... a very funny book William S. Burroughs

Fifteen-year-old Alex doesnt just like ultra-violence - he also enjoys rape, drugs and Beethovens ninth. He and his gang of droogs rampage through a dystopian future, hunting for terrible thrills. But when Alex finds himself at the mercy of the state and subject to the ministrations of Dr Brodsky, and the mind-altering treatment of the Ludovico Technique, he discovers that fun is no longer the order of the day. The basis for Stanley Kubricks notorious 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange is both a virtuoso performance from an electrifying prose stylist and a serious exploration of the morality of free will.

In his introduction, Blake Morrison situates A Clockwork Orange within the context of Anthony Burgesss many other works, explores the authors unhappiness with the Stanley Kubrick film version, analyses the composition of the Nadsat argot spoken by Alex and his droogs, and examines the influences on Burgesss unique, eternally original style.

With an Introduction by Blake Morrison