One Hand Clapping

By Anthony Burgess

Book Overview

One Hand Clapping is the story of Janet and Howard Shirley, living a dreary life in the dreary fictional northern city of Bradcaster. Howard works at the local garage and Janet works in the local supermarket, and they spend their evenings having dinner in front of the television. Their lives begin to change when Howard's photographic memory wins them a gameshow fortune.

Janet doesn't want their lives to change that much. She is quite happy with the routine of their ordinary life, improved as it is by consumer goods and modern household conveniences. But once Howard unleashes his unusual brain on the world, the used-car salesman can't seem to stop; and what he sees as the logical conclusion to their success isn't something Janet can agree to.

Anthony Burgess's darkly comic satire of 1960s consumerism explores themes of the importance or otherwise of culture and education and the growing influence of America, and taps into contemporary anxieties about the future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1915530717
• ISBN13: 9781915530714
• Release Date: October 2025
• Publisher: Galileo Publishers
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Delicious Black Comedy

From the very beginning this book has wit, well defined characterizations and a fine sense of place and atmosphere. As the story moves along you are taken into the world of the character's loves, hates and desires which ultimately underscores the old saying, "Be careful what you wish for" in a wonderfully delicious black comedy the British seem to do better than most. One is tempted to read it through in one setting because it is hard to wait to find out what will happen next.

a slap at the "who wants to be a millionaire?" crowd

One Hand Clapping is a short, bitterly humorous look at a British working-class couple who strive to win a fortune on a TV quiz show, then spend their fortune in a rather peculiar fashion. Although Once Hand Clapping was written in the early 1960s it's satiric message still rings true. I loved it.However this novel is not for everyone. Firstly, the book has a very British feel about it. Much of the wording is not used in America, and is even distinctly old-fashioned here in England. But otherwise One Hand Clapping is an excellent introduction to the brilliant world of Anthony Burgess.

A great book!

I can't disagree more with something12_2@hotmail.com. *One Hand Clapping* is a terrific book, funny, profound, and memorable. Although I read it several years ago, I think about quite a lot -- and remember quite vidily the pleasure I had reading it. I highly recommend it to both Burgess fans and those who have never read him, or think he just wrote *Clockwork Orange.* It's good to see *One Hand Clapping* is still in print.

Wonderful - why isn't this book more well-known?

_One Hand Clapping_ is that rarity, a truly rousing, dark, and hilarious satire which doesn't get lost by either being too silly or too dark. An excellent compromise, with an added bonus of not uncovering its true point until around the end. I can't help but sympathize with poor Burgess, whose entire life's work was defined by _A Clockwork Orange_; while that, too, is an excellent work, he has so much more in his back catalogue than just droogs and moloko!

The genius, the wife and the poet... how does it end?

Master novelist Burgess entertains in his inimitable style with this nicely drawn character study of a well-meaning genius who makes a load of money on a quiz show. The plot gets rolling when he and his wife invite a starving poet to move in with them.In the end, I was reminded of Bob Dylan's lyric from his great acerbic song 'Idiot Wind'; "I can't help it if I'm lucky."