A Clockwork Orange

In Anthony Burgess's nightmare vision of youth culture in revolt, fifteen-year-old Alex and his friends set out on a diabolical orgy of robbery, rape, torture and murder. Alex is jailed for his teenage delinquency and the State tries to reform him — but at what cost?

Social prophecy? Black comedy? Study of free will? A Clockwork Orange is all of these. It is also a dazzling experiment in language, as Burgess creates a new speech for his anti-hero: 'nadsat', the teenage slang of a not-too-distant future. Stanley Kubrick's controversial film version of the novel has sealed its reputation as one of the most daring works of fiction this century. --back cover