Selections from A Clockwork Orange (Single Cassette) [Abridged, Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Anthony Burgess (Author, Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

"Anthony Burgess reads chapters of his novel A Clockwork Orange with hair-raising drive and energy. Although it is a fantasy set in an Orwellian future, this is anything but a bedtime story." -The New York Times

Told by the central character, Alex, this brilliant, hilarious, and disturbing novel creates an alarming futuristic vision of violence, high technology, and authoritarianism.Anthony Burgess' 1963 classic stands alongside Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World as a classic of twentieth century post-industrial alienation, often shocking us into a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of free will and the conflict between good and evil. In this recording, the author's voice lends an intoxicating lyrical dimension to the language he has so masterfully crafted.

"I do not know of any other writer who has done as much with language as Mr. Burgess has done [in A Clockwork Orange]." -William S. Burroughs

Recognized as one of the literary geniuses of our time, Anthony Burgess produced thirty-two novels, a volume of verse, sixteen works of nonfiction, and two plays. Originally a composer, his creative output also included countless musical compositions, including symphonies, operas, and jazz. The author's musicality is evident in the lyrical and dramatic reading he gives in this recording. Anthony Burgess died in 1993.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Caedmon; Unabridged edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0694517526
• ISBN-13: 978-0694517527
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,060,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anthony Burgess (25th February 1917-22nd November 1993) was one of the UK's leading academics and most respected literary figures. A prolific author, during his writing career Burgess found success as a novelist, critic, composer, playwright, screenwriter, travel writer, essayist, poet and librettist, as well as working as a translator, broadcaster, linguist and educationalist. His fiction also includes NOTHING LIKE THE SUN, a recreation of Shakespeare's love-life, but he is perhaps most famous for the complex and controversial novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, exploring the nature of evil. Born in Manchester, he spent time living in Southeast Asia, the USA and Mediterranean Europe as well as in England, until his death in 1993.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clockwork Orange is difficult but worth while., November 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Selections from A Clockwork Orange (Single Cassette) (Audio Cassette)

A Clockwork Orange is a futuristic book that shows the years to come filled with drugs and violence. It is also very sexual orientated, so it is for mature readers. This book also has it's own language, the Nadstat lanuage, used by the teenagers. The book revolves around four friends that form a nocternal gang. They go to school durring the day and reek havoc at night. Their nightly actions consist of robbery, drugs, fights, and rapes. The only thing that seperates this gang from the many others is that it is lead by a teenager that believes that the only thing better than a night full of drugs is a night full of Ludwig Van Beethoven's beautiful music. This book has it's own language created from Russian and the Author's creativity. It is difficult to read because of that, but there is a key in the back of the book to help you. Some examples of the language are: eggs-eggiweggs, stomach-guttiwats, and Ludwig Van Beethoven-Oh Ludwig Van. Due to mature content and the difficult style of this book I do not recomend this book to anybody younger than 16 although I am 14 and I truly enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 1/2 of The Clockwork Orange, March 9, 2000

By 

Alison Y. (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Selections from A Clockwork Orange (Single Cassette) (Audio Cassette)

The Clockwork Orange is definitely an interesting and strange novel. From the first page on, the reader gets trapped to reading into a new language. The language however hard to interpret truly gets the reader engaged into the writing. I believe that the language helps to get the reader involved and as the story goes on the language gets easier and easier to understand. I am about halfway through the story and as I go on it keeps getting better. I'm finding myself in the mind of Alex (the self-proclaimed narrator of the story). I never want to put down the book because it is so enticing. Although a bit violent and gruesome the story really is exciting to read. The one thing that I absolutely loved about the book is the fact that Anthony Burgess incorporated the title, The Clockwork Orange, into the book. He did this by writing up a scene where Alex and his friends confront an author who is actually writing a book called The Clockwork Orange. I have to admit I am not an avid reader but this book is really grabbing my attention. The Clockwork Orange starts out by introducing Alex and all his droogs. Droogs are what they call friends. The author also goes on to describe the area in which they live in and the atmosphere. One night Alex and his fellow droogs go out and have a night on the town. However your perception and their perception of having fun are completely different. They go out to cause trouble. Stealing, fighting, and raping are just three things that they love to do with other people. Once they feel like the police are leading to them, they give up for the night. The next day Alex stays home from school and finds himself more trouble to get into. That same night, after a few fights break out between his droogs, they all set out to cause more mischief.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spare Some Cutter Me Brothers, February 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Selections from A Clockwork Orange (Single Cassette) (Audio Cassette)

Well my brothers the adventures of young Alex and his 'droogs' will have you incaptivated, shocked and amused forget the pseudo-intellectualisation of good and evil and the semantics of free will. From under-age sex to brutality and violence young Alex explores the whole gamut of depravity. As an English reviwer where the film of this great novel is still banned and Anthony Burgess is somewhat underlooked in literary circles his writing from historical novels to the eponymous Mr.Enderby collect dust in second hand book shops throughout this land. Like the author, live life as if it were a book rather than through a book, this is the gift 'A Clockwork Orange' represents rather than an over emphasisation of a moral duality....So what are you waiting for get clicking that mouse and order an adventure today.