Burgess, << BUR jihs, >> Anthony (1917-1993), was an English novelist and critic. Many of his novels reflect his interest in languages and their evolution. The characters of Burgess’ best-known novel, A Clockwork Orange (1962), speak a language that he invented. It consists of English, Russian, and slang of both languages. The novel tells about young men who react violently against a dehumanized society of the near future.
Burgess wrote novels on political satire, spies, history, religion, and the love life of the English playwright William Shakespeare. Burgess’ three related novels—Inside Mr. Enderby (1963), Enderby Outside (1968), and A Clockwork Testament (1974)—portray a poet torn between the demands of the everyday world and the need to express his own creativity. His other novels include Honey for the Bears (1963), Napoleon Symphony (1974), and Earthly Powers (1980).
Burgess’ literary criticism includes The Novel Now (1967); Urgent Copy (1969); and Joysprick (1973), a study of the language of Irish author James Joyce. Burgess also composed music, translated plays, and wrote dramas and short stories. John Anthony Burgess Wilson was born on Feb. 25, 1917, in Manchester. He began to use Anthony Burgess as a pen name when he published his first novel. He died on Nov. 22, 1993.
