A Clockwork Orange
Anthony Burgess · 1917–1993 · England
Why it matters
A teenage gang leader's ultraviolence is narrated in Nadsat, an invented slang of Russian-inflected teen argot. Burgess asks whether a state has the right to erase a monster's capacity for choice, evil included.
At a glance
dystopiansatire
Difficulty 7/10fast pace192 pagesNarrated in Nadsat, an invented slang requiring sustained decoding throughout.
Deep dive
The novel you can buy today isn't always the one Burgess actually wrote the ending to — and the difference is the whole argument.
Where to go next
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J. G. Farrell · 1973The Siege of KrishnapurLvl 5Medium pace