Andrew Biswell

This is a compelling biography of a complex man. Burgess wrote thirty-three novels in his lifetime, though he long considered himself to be primarily a composer. Biswall’s scrupulous research must have required a huge amount of patience; not least because Burgess seems to have frequently exaggerated, rearranged chronology and out-and-out invented sections of his past, both in his own autobiography and in his many published interviews. Biswall has met and corresponded with an impressive number of people who actually knew Burgess, and when the varying accounts of the facts differ, he tends to relate both versions, commenting on which he finds most plausible with mild good-humour. A gripping read, sometimes funny and sometimes horrifying, particularly the sections which deal with Burgess’ twenty-six year marriage to his first wife, Lynne. Though I think Biswall has made an admirable job of a difficult subject, his non-committal is ultimately unsatisfying; alongside Burgess’ vigorous prose, his voice often comes across as plodding and pedantic. With such a vast amount of material and so many contradictions, it is easy to see why he would choose this approach—but it does detract from what is an otherwise excellent biography.… (more)

This is a compelling biography of a complex man. Burgess wrote thirty-three novels in his lifetime, though he long considered himself to be primarily a composer. Biswall’s scrupulous research must have required a huge amount of patience; not least because Burgess seems to have frequently exaggerated, rearranged chronology and out-and-out invented sections of his past, both in his own autobiography and in his many published interviews. Biswall has met and corresponded with an impressive number of people who actually knew Burgess, and when the varying accounts of the facts differ, he tends to relate both versions, commenting on which he finds most plausible with mild good-humour. A gripping read, sometimes funny and sometimes horrifying, particularly the sections which deal with Burgess’ twenty-six year marriage to his first wife, Lynne. Though I think Biswall has made an admirable job of a difficult subject, his non-committal is ultimately unsatisfying; alongside Burgess’ vigorous prose, his voice often comes across as plodding and pedantic. With such a vast amount of material and so many contradictions, it is easy to see why he would choose this approach—but it does detract from what is an otherwise excellent biography.… (more)