The Life And Work Of Anthony Burgess :: essays research papers

The Life and Work of Anthony Burgess "Autobiography: Story of one's life, written by oneself."(Halsey 64). Everyone knows what an autobiography is, but not so many people realize that although not all authors write a book that can be called a factual autobiography, many authors frequently allow personal, real life experiences to influence their fictional writings. An excellent example of such an author is Anthony Burgess. Anthony Burgess is recognized today as an English novelist, critic, essayist, and composer (editor CLC 80). Burgess is such a literary genius, it was once said of him that "... his agent, publisher, and his entry in "Who's Who" could not provide the exact number of books he wrote." (Baldwin A8). Some of Burgess's works include The Long Day Wanes, The Doctor is Sick, and, perhaps Burgess's most famous book, Clockwork Orange. A Clockwork Orange is an interesting novel that paints a picture of a gruesome violence in the not-so- distant future. The story is based on, and told by the narrator, the fifteen- year old Alex, but it shows many references to the life and experience of its author. In a series of five books, Burgess also focused on his life experiences. Enderby's Dark Lady was the fifth in the series, and that will be the second book focused on in this paper. Anthony Burgess's work in A Clockwork Orange and Enderby's Dark Lady strongly reflects significant events or influences in his own life. Anthony Burgess was born John Burgess Wilson in Manchester, England in early 1917. (Stinson 1). Both of Burgess's parents were members of the theatric arts: His father was a pianist, his mother was a musical actress. Burgess went to a Catholic elementary school, and was one of the many victims of the "iron discipline and largely rote memorization" (Stinson 2) typical in such schools of the time. Burgess attended Xaverian College, and later moved on to the inexpensive University of Manchester, where he hoped to pursue an education in music. He was rejected form the music department because he had failed physics. Instead, Burgess entered the English department (Stinson 6). In 1940, Burgess graduated with his B.A., with honors, in literature and English language (Stinson 7). Shortly after, Burgess enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and spent most of his six years in the service in the entertainment section, playing the piano and writing songs, or in the Army Educational Corps (Stinson 7). In 1946, Burgess was discharged with the rank of sergeant-major. Burgess found himself employed in several different jobs, and living in several different countries in the years that followed.