Anthony Burgess

by Roger Lewis

Book Overview

Interviewer: "On what occasions do you lie?" Anthony Burgess: "When I write, when I speak, when I sleep." He was the last great modernist. Novelist, composer, librettist, essayist, semanticist, translator, critic, Anthony Burgess's versatility and erudition found expression in more than fifty books and dozens of musical compositions, from operas, choral works and song cycles to symphonies and concertos. Here now is a kaleidoscope of a book--the culmination...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312322518
• ISBN13: 9780312322519
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 434 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A Tale of Two Writers

Some reviewers concluded that this book was a "hatchet" job. Others enjoyed it. Both camps are right. Roger Lewis maintains that Burgess was a great writer who managed never to write a great book. One of Lewis' tutors, Richard Ellman, expressed concern about the book. Ellman cautioned Lewis against writing a biography contemptuous of its subject. Yet, Lewis wrote just that. Biographers do not have to love, respect or admire their subjects, but, as many reviewers noted, it's not clear why Lewis bothered to write a reasonably long biography that finds so little positive to say about Burgess. Part of the reason is that Lewis, if we are to take him at face value, admired Burgess, though he was also jealous of the adulation his peers accorded him. What comes through these pages is an expression of disappointment, disappointment with Burgess, and Lewis' disappointment with himself. In fact, Lewis, almost certainly intentionally, in writing about Burgess does exactly what he criticizes Burgess of doing: he has written mechanically and managed to conceal any depth of feeling. Having stumbled upon this book by chance, I was really surprised that I completed it. Yet once begun, this book is hard to resist. Lewis did a considerable amount of basic detective work in writing this biography, though he never visited the archives at UT, and his claim of having read the totality of Burgess' work is likely exaggerated. At any rate, the result is a book that spews contempt and anger on every page. The indictment is extensive; Burgess neglected his first wive, was invariably cheap with friends and associates, was likely impotent while trying to appear uber virile, may have been a spy, mysteriously lived above his means, held grudges, published at a maniacal pace and managed to say nothing of lasting import. In a comedy, a straight man might well ask: "But, Roger, how do you really feel?" Here, despite it all, that's a legitimate question because one knows or senses, at some level, that Lewis is disengaging himself from his true feelings in Anthony Burgess -- as though writing the biography infected the writer. Biographies can be remarkably predictable and prosaic works. Not the case here.

A terrific, and terrifically entertaining biography.

I am sad to see so many negative reviews about this biography. Mr Lewis book follows his treatment of Laurence Olivier and Peter Sellers -- digging beneath the skin in a nonlinear way, writing in a tone that I find very appealing. He has influenced my writing much. I now approach subjects with a wider frame of criticism. Reading this book enlargened my mind. Yes, the book is highly critical of Burgess, but Lewis provides ample evidence and support. He also shows himself as a great thinker, exhibiting an ability to interpret with a prowess that rivals any critic I've ever encountered. Since encountering A Clockwork Orange I have devoted many hours to studying Burgess - reading as many of his novels as I could find. His supposed greatness constantly eluded me. I thought myself deficient. Unable to understand a genius as grand as ABBA's. Lewis articulates what I could not fathom -- Burgess is a great writer who never wrote a great book (even though I find his commentary on Joyce absolutely delicious. As a purveyor of fiction, pass). This bio is brilliant and I would honestly be distrustful of the opinion of anyone who disagress.

A tour de force

The reviewers of this biography are all wet. This is a wonderful, energetic romp through Burgess's life by a biographer who has real style and panache. In his book Burgess is a terrific fraud, true, but fantastically energetic and always fun to track through Lewis's hilarious prose. This biography really turns the genre on its head. Don't pay attention to the sour (..) reviews.