Inside Anthony Burgess is a podcast exploring the imaginative world of the author of A Clockwork Orange and 32 other novels.

Each episode will feature one of Burgess’s books, taking in both his fiction and his non-fiction. Among other subjects, we will discuss the origins of each work, its themes and its literary techniques.

Napoleon Symphony is one of Anthony Burgess’s most experimental novels. Charting the life of Napoleon Bonaparte from Corsica to Saint Helena (but not in that order), the novel presents a unique vision of post-Revolutionary France and the man who fought to build a French empire through military conquest. Structured around Beethoven’s third symphony, the Eroica, the novel uses myriad voices and a combination of linguistically rich fantasy and the real history to portray a man who is both hero and tyrant.

Graham Foster and Andrew Biswell enlist to follow Burgess’s Napoleon into battle.

Books mentioned in this episode

By Anthony Burgess:

• The Malayan Trilogy (1956-59)
• A Clockwork Orange (1962)
• Nothing Like the Sun (1964)
• A Vision of Battlements (1965)
• Tremor of Intent (1966)
• M/F (1971)
• The Clockwork Testament (1974) in The Complete Enderby
• Beard’s Roman Women (1976)
• Moses (1976)
• ABBA ABBA (1977)
• Man of Nazareth (1979)
• Earthly Powers (1980)
• The End of the World News (1982)
• Kingdom of the Wicked (1985)
• A Dead Man in Deptford (1993)

By others:

• In Memoriam by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850)
• The Prelude by William Wordsworth (1850)
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1867)
• The Dynasts by Thomas Hardy (1904-8)

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You can listen to Inside Anthony Burgess on your audio platform of choice (e.g. Apple Podcasts / Spotify/ YouTube), or use the streaming links below.

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