A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange is a novel by the English writer Anthony Burgess (1917 – 1993).

The original text

Published on 17 March 1962, the highly rated novel is set in a near-future society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. The teenage protagonist, Alex, narrates his violent exploits and his experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him.

A Clockwork Orange was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language books from 1923 to 2005.

Translations and adaptations

It has seen many film versions over the years, notably the award-winning 1971 Stanley Kubrick film featuring Malcolm McDowell.

A number of stage versions were created as well, including A Clockwork Orange: A Play with Music by Burgess himself, published by Hutchinson in 1987. It includes songs, written by Burgess, which are inspired by Beethoven and Nadsat slang.

For more on the various adaptations, see the Wikipedia entry on the novel.[1]

Performance history in South Africa

2014: What is probably Burgess's version was performed by amateur student actors from the Durban University of Technology’s Department of Drama and Production Studies at the Cane Growers Hall, ML Sultan Campus from Friday May 23, 2014 to Friday May 30, 2014. Directed by junior lecturer Marcia Peschke, with a cast that included Lungani Mabaso, Kagisho Tsimakwane, Sipho Zakwe and Gabriel Miya.