Anthony Burgess
A fiercely intellectual novelist who used a fantastical, violent future to explore the fundamental struggles between free will and social order.
1917–1993 (age 76)·English writer and composer·Birthday: February 25·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anthony Burgess was a literary tornado of ideas, a composer, critic, and linguist whose vast output was powered by a relentless, almost manic creativity. While he wrote over fifty books, his name is forever tied to 'A Clockwork Orange', a brutal, brilliant novel written in a invented teenage slang that examined the morality of choice. Burgess often expressed ambivalence about the fame it brought, particularly after Stanley Kubrick's controversial film adaptation. His work consistently wrestled with Catholic themes of sin and redemption, and he possessed a profound musical mind, considering composition his primary vocation. He lived a peripatetic life, teaching around the world, which infused his writing with a polyglot's ear for language. Burgess was less a comfortable English man of letters and more a provocative, polymathic force, arguing with the modern world through every medium he could master.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anthony was born in 1917, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anthony Was Born
The biggest hits of 1917
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Anthony's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1917Born
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1922Started school
King Tut's tomb discovered in Egypt
President: Warren G. Harding"April Showers" — Al Jolson
1930Became a teenager
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1933Could drive
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1935Could vote
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1938Turned 21
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1947Turned 30
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1957Turned 40
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1967Turned 50
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 60
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 70
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1993Died at 76
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Wrote the influential dystopian novel 'A Clockwork Orange', famous for its invented 'Nadsat' slang.
- Composed over 250 musical works, including symphonies, operas, and chamber music.
- Produced a prolific body of literary criticism, journalism, and translation alongside his novels.
- Wrote the epic novel 'Earthly Powers', widely considered one of his masterworks.
Did You Know?
He claimed he wrote 'A Clockwork Orange' in just three weeks.
He was a gifted linguist who spoke several languages and worked as a teacher in Malaya and Borneo.
He believed he had synesthesia, associating musical keys and sounds with specific colors.
He wrote the novel 'Inside Mr. Enderby' under the female pseudonym 'Joseph Kell'.
“It's always good to remember where you come from and celebrate it. To remember where you come from is part of where you're going.”
