24
Sep
2009
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Listen, O my brothers, as I relate to you a skorry tale of Alex and his droogs, who are real horrorshow malchicks, what with their bitvas, using everything from nozhes to fisties to booties, and tolchocking litsos, viddying the krovvy running red. That is, when they aren’t busy drinking the old moloko at some mesto or giving a devotchka the ultra-violent in-out in-out while they boohoohoo. The whole while Alex slooshies his droog Ludwig van in his gulliver, which might make him unusual because most nadsats slooshie real gloopy pop warbles that about makes him bezoomny.
If you got through that paragraph without your head spinning off like The Exorcist, then you can probably make it through the book (if you couldn’t get through that paragraph without your head spinning, my appy polly loggies). Believe it or not, I wrote that paragraph only consulting the helpful glossary my book has in the back a couple times (is it bitva that is knife and britva that is fight, or is it the other way around? What is the word for song, again?), such is my skill at this nadsat-speak. Also, if you know any Russian, you’ll be at an advantage as most of this slang seems to by of Russian origins.
I should say, though, that you still might not get through this books because it is crazy violent. I mean, worse than the movie. He doesn’t get ten-year-old girls drunk and rape them in the movie.
Yeah.
But that’s mostly just in the first section of the book. And I think that it is necessary to use such extreme examples of violence and depravity as sort of a foil to the extreme brainwashing of the government. Nobody in this book is good, except perhaps for the prison chaplain, but he is powerless to do anything because of his focus on career advancement, so nevermind, he’s no good either.
I can see why some people would want to ban this book. Of course I don’t agree with it. But I can see why teenagers might not be prepared for the grotesqueness and heinous nature of both Alex’s crimes and the governments. The most shocking part of the book to me was when I realized that Alex was only 15. 15! I don’t know if that would have affected me in the same way if I’d read it as a teen. Something about thinking that you are so old and deep at that age might prevent it from sinking in.
So. Is this a good book? Absolutely. It’s difficult to read due to the language and the subject, but it’s beyond poignant.
Buy A Clockwork Orange on Amazon
If you like this book/movie, you might like:
(my reviews in blue)
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
1984 by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Fight Club by Chuck Pahlaniuk
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
The Real Life of Anthony Burgess by Andrew Biswell
Anthony Burgess by Roger Lewis
Other works by Anthony Burgess*:
The Long Day Wanes: A Malayan Trilogy
The Wanting Seed
Right To An Answer
The Doctor Is Sick
Devil of a state
The Eve of St Venus
Nothing Like the Sun: A Story of Shakespeare’s Love-Life
Little Wilson and Big God: The First Part of the Confession
Tremor of Intent
Honey for the Bears
The Enderby Quartet
A Dead Man in Deptford
Man of Nazareth
The End of the World News: An Entertainment
Any Old Iron
Beard’s Roman Women: A novel
Mozart and the Wolf Gang
Re Joyce
One Hand Clapping: A Novel
This Man and Music
The Kingdom of the Wicked
Earthly Powers
Shakespeare
ABBA ABBA
*NOTE: This list is not exhaustive. For the most part it only contains works that are still in print, however you can still find many of Burgess’s works used.
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I loved this book! sure it took a while to get used to the Nadsat but I actually managed to get a little mini glossary of the terms through the web and that helped. I would actually list this as one of my favorites. It’s a classic. Or in nadsat: it’s horrorshow
Hm, I do want to read this and I think I should read this but I think I need to be in the right frame of mind… exactly what frame of mind that would be, who knows?!
I’ve heard that Clockwork Orange was difficult to read because the main character just doesnt make sense at all. I’ve been wondering about it for a while. Thanks for sharing the review and yes… I skipped your first paragraph!
I like to drive around looking to perform some ultraviolet while listening to Ludwig Van…
Great review! I did a whole paper on this work for my linguistic class and it was nice to hear another point of view! Well done.
I’m so happy you reviewed this one! This one’s on my “To-Read” list and now I’m a little more prepared! And a slang based on Russian? I think I know a guy who might help with that ;P
Fuck. my copy didn’t have a glossary in the back. So i didn’t get past the first paragraph. Can’t I just read some other Burgess? He resented being famous for this book didn’t he?
Karoline: It’s kind of like reading Chaucer, I think. It’s tough at first but you get used to it, and then it sorta falls into in rhythm.
Claire: I hear ya!
ms ulat buku: The main character is freakin’ vicious and crazy. But I think that Burgess does a good job of creating a world in which someone like him exists. And remember, he is not unlike his peers.
T.Y.: with Medieval Weaponry, right?
Prongs: any insight into how Burgess developed nadsat?
Lindsey: I know, right? The whole time I was like, god damnit, Ian could actually be useful here.
Elena: Google on nadsat glossary or A Clockwork Orange glossary and you should find something.
I’ve seen the movie a few times but never had the desire to actually read the book as somehow images I create in my own head tend to stick with me for longer than film images. Hmm … I think I still don’t want to read it.
so coolio. the orange-speak is what i really loved about this book! so horror-show!
btw: you’ve just been awarded again ;-D
http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2009/08/super-comments-award.html
I’ve often wondered if I should read this one. After reading you review, I’ll have to think about it some more! The movie was good, but I thought it was disturbing so I don’t know if I could take the book.
And yes, I have an award for you!
http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/2009/09/superior-scribbler-award-part-deux.html
I’m glad there’s an online dictionary for A CLOCKWORK ORANGE … I would definitely need it!
I don’t think I could make it through the book based on your opening paragraph. I did see the movie in college and wished I hadn’t at the time. Really disturbing and I don’t think I knew what I was in for. Felt sick afterwards. And the part with the eyelids being held open by the metal things just haunts me to this day. I have a “thing” about my eyes and that was horrifiying to me.
Great review.
This is one of the most confusing stories I have ever read. The beginning does not make any sense to me. After finding an online source on what everything meant, I kind of understand what it all means now. I have just recently finish reading this story and it is pretty disturbing. Other than the disturbing part, it was a good book.