The reader is introduced to the protagonist and antihero, Alex, along with his merry band of “droogs,” or loyal companions. There are also depictions of illicit drug use, potentially offensive religious material, and expressions of suicidal ideation and attempted suicide. This edition also retains British spelling but uses standard American punctuation.Ĭontent Warning: The novel contains scenes of graphic violence, including sexual assault and rape. This guide refers to the 1991 reprint of the 1988 American edition, published by Ballantine Books this was the first American edition to restore the previously omitted final (and infamous) 21st chapter. Similarly, Alex is an indelible character, perpetrator and victim, whose voice also “refuses to be erased.” Burgess himself was ambivalent about the book, especially due to the way Kubrik glorified its hyperviolence, and mused that A Clockwork Orange “refuses to be erased” (v). A Clockwork Orange remains his best-known novel, likely due to Stanley Kubrik’s successful (if controversial) 1971 film adaptation. He was nominated for several prestigious awards during his lifetime, including the Booker Prize in 1980 (for Earthly Powers), and he was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Along with his writing career, Burgess was an accomplished musician-this perhaps explains protagonist Alex’s attachment to classical music despite his barbaric tendencies-and composed more than 250 original scores.
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