A Clockwork Orange
First published 1962 · English · 189 pages
- Religion and spirituality
A short novel set in a near-future England, narrated by Alex, a teenage gang leader who loves classical music and committing violence. He speaks in Nadsat, an invented slang blending Russian and English. When he is caught, the state offers him a radical treatment meant to remove his capacity for evil. The book asks whether goodness has any value if it is not chosen. It is both a bleak satire and a playful experiment with language, and it remains one of the most debated British novels of the twentieth century.
Quotes
There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening.
The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultraviolence.
What's it going to be then, eh?
Come with uncle," I said, "and hear all proper. Hear angel trumpets and devil trombones. You are invited.