The basis of Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange was of course Anthony Burgess‘ same-named novel from ten years prior, centered on a young man named Alex and his exploits as an ultra-violent youth in a near-future society. As it turns out, Burgess was at one point working on something of a follow-up novel, which was just discovered in his archives.
Among the late author’s personal collection, the previously unseen 200-page manuscript A Clockwork Condition has been unearthed, described by BBC as being “a collection of Burgess’ thoughts on the human condition,” one that “develops the themes from his 1962 book.”
They add that the non-fiction follow-up is “part philosophical reflection and part autobiography,” wherein Burgess touches upon the controversy surrounding Kubrick’s adaptation. Infamously, Kubrick’s film had been accused of spawning copycat crimes, and A Clockwork Condition was to be a philosophical look at the impact of entertainment on society.
“The Clockwork Condition provides a context for Burgess’s most famous work, and amplifies his views on crime, punishment and the possible corrupting effects of visual culture,” says Professor Andrew Biswell, director of the International Anthony Burgess Foundation.
A Clockwork Condition was ultimately pared down by Burgess and turned into the autobiographical novella The Clockwork Testament, which was published in 1974.