A Clockwork Orange

In Anthony Burgess's influential nightmare vision of the future, where criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, a teen who speaks in fantastically inventive slang that evocatively renders his and his friends' intense reaction against their society. Dazzling and transgressive, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil and the meaning of human freedom. This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition, and Burgess's introduction, "A Clockwork Orange Resucked."

Anthony Burgess's dystopian masterpiece presents a chilling exploration of violence, free will, and societal control through the eyes of Alex, a charismatic yet brutal protagonist. Set in a nightmarish future, this novel examines the moral complexities of punishment and rehabilitation with unflinching intensity. Burgess's invented language, Nadsat, creates an immersive linguistic landscape that challenges readers while deepening the narrative's alienating effect. A seminal work of speculative fiction that remains provocative and intellectually demanding decades after publication.