Does anyone know anything about Burgess' politics?

[Angry Young Man]

Yeah the other day I finished A Clockwork Orange and was left a little puzzled about Anthony Burgess' political sympathies. Even the background is a little shady, with the flatblocks having murals stern in the dignity of labour and state-owned shops and media vs 'the old bourgeois types', 'lewdies', 'sophistoes', etc. Some of the setting seemed Soviet-esque and alot of the 'nadsat' slang being rooted in Slavonic origins, and yet there was also a massive class divide.
Also, with Burgess presenting Alex as a working-class youth character, there seems to be the paradox of the young and able oppressed knowing that they feel alienated and are being exploited and regarded as inferior, written off, etc; whilst having absolutely no idea how to solve the problem of class, and instead it turns into petty vandalism.
I was quite surprised by how much it seems he predicted 'chav' culture (sans Beethoven's IX)
So if you know, left, liberal, right. I very much doubt he was a conservative. But yea some clarification would be nice.
Thanks x

[FOREVER LEFT]

He was obsessed with Orwell's novel "1984" reading it more than 30 times. He must have been some sort of liberal anti-communist.
Here is the wikipedia page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Burgess

[BreadBros]

I believe the implication is that the UK depicted in Clockwork Orange is one that is under the Soviet sphere or influence, ergo the Russian slang, the murals, the Soviet style apartment blocks and the general stagnating state of much of the city/economy.

I didn't necessarily see any class-based themes as being prominent in the story (I've only seen the movie though, haven't read the book). The main themes in my mind seem to be morality (the title being an allusion to treating an organic being in a mechanical way) and the dehumanization of the individual by society and institutions (in regards to Alex's run-ins with the law, the Church's attempt at reforming him, the Droogs becoming cops).

Oh -- and in regard to Burgess's politics, I couldn't find anything online, but I would say hes probably a liberal. Im not sure though, his books seem to argue for a general disdain of authority and complex views of morality and human behavior and the such -- they might be far more vague.

[Angry Young Man]

I'm somewhat a little annoyed, so please don't take these to heart, lads, but

FOREVERLEFT: Why must you refer to a fucking wiki? And if he was obsessed with Orwell he was probably an anti-authoritarian socialist.

And Breadbros...
I SAID FUCKING BURGESS, NOT KUBRICK! ART THOU FUCKING RETARDED THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T EVEN READ THE BOOK IN QUESTION, THEN YOU DON'T FUCKING WELL ANSWER BECAUSE YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL BE ABOUT AS MUCH HELP AS DAVID CAMERON IN SOCIAL ISSUES! Yea there are definitely class-issues in the book. Alex even uses the word bourgeois once or twice, and there is definitely a kind of contempt towards the wealthy. Also the house they break into before Alex is betrayed (also in the film) belongs to someone who is clearly minted.
And I'd definitely say that its more - or at least equally - societal than individualist, as the government wants to eradicate the criminal tendency by revolting the criminals with the crimes they find immoral, so it's about the ruling class' control of its subjects.
Also, I don't think Soviet prisons had chaplains.

[BreadBros]

FOREVERLEFT: Why must you refer to a fucking wiki? And if he was obsessed with Orwell he was probably an anti-authoritarian socialist.

Presumably because Wikis are one of the best ways of getting fast, summarized information on nearly any historical or scientific subject.


And Breadbros...
I SAID FUCKING BURGESS, NOT KUBRICK! ART THOU FUCKING RETARDED THAT IF YOU HAVEN'T EVEN READ THE BOOK IN QUESTION, THEN YOU DON'T FUCKING WELL ANSWER BECAUSE YOUR CONTRIBUTION WILL BE ABOUT AS MUCH HELP AS DAVID CAMERON IN SOCIAL ISSUES!

:rolleyes: With the exception of the ending, the film is not very different from the book. I've seen the movie and read of the differences between the two. To quote George Lopez "Its the saaammee shit."


Yea there are definitely class-issues in the book. Alex even uses the word bourgeois once or twice, and there is definitely a kind of contempt towards the wealthy. Also the house they break into before Alex is betrayed (also in the film) belongs to someone who is clearly minted.

And I'd definitely say that its more - or at least equally - societal than individualist, as the government wants to eradicate the criminal tendency by revolting the criminals with the crimes they find immoral, so it's about the ruling class' control of its subjects.

Well, in this sense class is an issue in ALL literature that represents some semblance of real life since its merely reflecting real life class divisions. What I meant was that the emphasis or theme of the story didn't seem centered around making a point about class conflict as much as about morality and the integrity of the individual.


Also, I don't think Soviet prisons had chaplains.

I never said it had become a Soviet republic. Merely that it was meant to look somewhat under the Soviet sphere of influence.

[Comrade Marcel]

If you want to know what Burgess really thought of 1984, read his book 1985.

Burgess was a liberal. He was anti-Union (which can be seen in 1985), but had sympathies for certain social nets in capitalism.

[Spartacist]

the UK depicted in Clockwork Orange is one that is under the Soviet sphere or influence, ergo the Russian slang, the murals, the Soviet style apartment blocks and the general stagnating state of much of the city/economy.

Post-WWII British Socialism.

Having seen Burgess interviewed several times in the past I have to agree with Marcel. Right-wingers really used to like him.

[Angry Young Man]

Probablybecause they were cumming at the idea of using technology in order to make sure that working class youths never bite the hand that beats