Antony Burgess

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Native name
Born	John Anthony Burgess Wilson (1917-02-25)25 February 1917 Harpurhey, Manchester, England
Died	22 November 1993(1993-11-22) (aged 76) St John's Wood, London, England
Resting place
Pen name
Nickname
Occupation	Novelist, composer, critic
Language
Nationality	British

Antony Burgess (born John Anthony Burgess Wilson, 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) was an English writer and composer. He is best known for his dystopian satire A Clockwork Orange, which was adapted into a successful film by Stanley Kubrick. Burgess was a prolific writer, producing numerous novels, essays, and works of criticism, as well as composing music.

Early Life and Education

Burgess was born in Harpurhey, a suburb of Manchester, England. He was the son of a Catholic bookkeeper and a music hall singer. His mother and sister died in the 1918 influenza pandemic, and he was raised by his father and later his stepmother. Burgess attended Xaverian College and later studied English literature at the University of Manchester, graduating in 1940.

Career

Military Service

During World War II, Burgess served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Army Educational Corps. His experiences during the war influenced his later writing, particularly his interest in the themes of violence and free will.

Teaching and Early Writing

After the war, Burgess worked as a teacher in various schools in England before moving to Malaya (now Malaysia) and Borneo to work as an education officer. His time in Southeast Asia inspired his first published novels, known as the Malayan Trilogy: Time for a Tiger (1956), The Enemy in the Blanket (1958), and Beds in the East (1959).

Literary Success

Burgess's breakthrough came with the publication of A Clockwork Orange in 1962. The novel explores the conflict between individual free will and state control, using a unique invented slang called Nadsat. The book's controversial themes and innovative language have made it a subject of extensive academic study.

Later Works

Burgess continued to write prolifically throughout his life, producing works such as Earthly Powers (1980), a sweeping historical novel that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He also wrote biographies, including Shakespeare (1970) and Ernest Hemingway (1978), and numerous essays on literature and music.

Music

In addition to his literary career, Burgess was an accomplished composer. He wrote symphonies, operas, and other musical works, often incorporating his musical knowledge into his novels. His interest in music is evident in works like Napoleon Symphony (1974), which is structured around Beethoven's Eroica Symphony.

Personal Life

Burgess married his first wife, Llewela "Lynne" Isherwood Jones, in 1942. After her death in 1968, he married Italian translator Liana Macellari. Burgess spent much of his later life in Europe, particularly in Italy and Monaco.

Death and Legacy

Burgess died of lung cancer on 22 November 1993 in St John's Wood, London. His legacy includes a vast body of work that continues to be studied and appreciated for its linguistic inventiveness and exploration of complex themes.

Also see

• A Clockwork Orange (novel)
• Stanley Kubrick
• Dystopian literature
• Nadsat
• Booker Prize