1985

by Anthony Burgess

Book Overview

Ingenious, chilling and darkly comic, 1985 combines a devastating critique of Orwell's 1984 with a terrifying vision of the future. As memorable as A Clockwork Orange, it is as powerful and unsettling... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316116513
• ISBN13: 9780316116510
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Little Brown and Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Under-rated and under-understood

An outstanding work that is clearly (read the other reviews, all bar Mr Pen-some's are naive responses) not understood or appreciated. I spent some time trying to track down a copy of this text and it was well worth it. People who have not read it should gush less when offering their critiques of 1984. To define the text would be to insult it but those who have read other Burgess works will recognise his fascination with and utilisation of multiple styles and approaches, the better to deal with the subjects in hand. Another masterpiece from Wilson - and no surprises there!

Illuminating

A stunning book which I stumbled across completely by chance - and one which throws new light on two of the last century's most important novels: Orwell's 1984 and Burgess' own A Clockwork Orange. I have long been an admirer of both books, but this book is fascinating in that it goes some way towards clarifying the moral stances which have long remained open to interpretation in the two previous books. Unusually for a popular work, the book combines a devastating critique of 1984, with it's own fictional riposte (the 1985 of the title). The latter part being particularly interesting as a reminder of just how pertinent the issue of syndicalism was in the days just before the resurgence of rampant lassez faire.

One of his best works.

Two books in one, the first an examination of George Orwell's 1984, the second Burgess' own view of the future.His analysis of 1984 is spot on as he looks at Orwell's world, (1984 was meant to be titled 1948), his background and motives for writing it. Burgess also looks at all of the worst possible futures scenarios, general social trends and thoughts for the future. His look at youth culture is particularly cutting, but incisive.Burgess sees 1985 as a world dominated by trade unions and hyper-inflation, western liberal society and values, crumbling before a militant and virile Islam. Western culture is sapped by a dumbing down of educational standards and a destruction of art and culture. All that is offered is in return is increasingly shoddy consumer goods and a despicable popular culture. The main character, Bev is a former history teacher, who after his wife is burned to death, because fireman would not break a sympathy strike to quell a hospital fire, decides to rebel against the system. Like Winston Smith his rebellion is doomed to failure, but the world is changing and the syndicalist future will collapse under its own weight.In his own afterword Burgess states that like Orwell he did not take into account the basic commonsense and decency of the working man. This commonsense and decency which would not allow either nightmares to come to pass. 20 years have passed since this book first appeared, and the future is quite different. But our educational standards have been dumbed down, and our freedoms do face a threat from increasingly militant and fanatical fringe groups. A new totalitarianism is possible and indeed imminent so Anthony Burgess' final message is that we must not take for granted our physical and intelectual freedoms.His section on Workers English is very amusing as he renders the Declaration of Independence and Hamlets Soliquy into the argot of the English working class yob.Half a book thought provoking in the way of P.J O'Rouke at his best, the ! other half offering what all excellent fiction should do an escape into a credible, but different world.

1985...

Anthony Burgess's novel "1985" is a classic work in the cacotopian (his word) genre. It begins with an excellent historical and philosophical overview of the development of Orwell's "1984," and then goes on a track all its own...detailing the deleterious effects on liberty when trade unions take over. In some aspects it mirrors Orwell's work...for example, instead of "newspeak", "Worker's English," complete with much common British profanity, replaces modern English ...the scenes in secret prison camps are also very similar to Orwell. Yet the unique slant of Burgess's work makes "1985" nearly irresistable, especially after tackling other "cacotopian" works.

`

One half philosophical insight and quasi-interviews, one half futuristic horror story. Put them together and you get Anthony Burgess' novel _1985_. The first half is easily the more interesting of the two, as it clearly expresses Burgesses' views on other novels (specifically _1984_ and his own work, _A Clockwork Orange_), anarchy, good, evil, and society in general. The interviews with himself are wonderful- a brilliant new way to express an opinon while being sure that the only questions asked are the ones that you have a ready answer for. As for the second part, the continuation of _1984_, the very problem is that it is such a continuation. The first novel was so wonderful that it's hard to have the sequel live up to the legacy, and it necessarily pales in comparison. That's not to say that I haven't read it a couple times, but it still isn't among the celestial greats.