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The Doctor is Sick
Dr. Edwin Spindrift, a very ordinary lecturer in linguistics, has been sent home from Burma with a brain tumor. Closer to words than people, his sense of reality is further altered by his condition. The night before he is to be operated on, Spindrift decides―shaven-headed, shirtless, and penniless―to postpone the surgery by escaping from the hospital. Things and people he hardly knew existed outside of his dictionaries swoop down on him as he careens through adventures in nighttime London.
"Fine, sly, rich comedy." ― New York Times Book Review
"Fine, sly, rich comedy." ― New York Times Book Review
260 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
131 people are currently reading
2042 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Burgess
360 books4,251 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Seriocomic novels of noted British writer and critic Anthony Burgess, pen name of John Burgess Wilson, include the futuristic classic A Clockwork Orange (1962).
He composed also a librettos, poems, plays, screens, and essays and traveled, broadcast, translated, linguist and educationalist. He lived for long periods in southeastern Asia, the United States of America, and Europe along Mediterranean Sea as well as England. His fiction embraces the Malayan trilogy ( The Long Day Wanes ) on the dying days of empire in the east. The Enderby quartet concerns a poet and his muse. Nothing like the Sun re-creates love life of William Shakespeare. He explores the nature of evil with Earthly Powers , a panoramic saga of the 20th century. He published studies of James Joyce, Ernest Miller Hemingway, Shakespeare, and David Herbert Lawrence. He produced the treatises Language Made Plain and A Mouthful of Air . His journalism proliferated in several languages. He translated and adapted Cyrano de Bergerac , Oedipus the King , and Carmen for the stage. He scripted Jesus of Nazareth and Moses the Lawgiver for the screen. He invented the prehistoric language, spoken in Quest for Fire . He composed the Sinfoni Melayu , the Symphony (No. 3) in C , and the opera Blooms of Dublin .
Seriocomic novels of noted British writer and critic Anthony Burgess, pen name of John Burgess Wilson, include the futuristic classic A Clockwork Orange (1962).
He composed also a librettos, poems, plays, screens, and essays and traveled, broadcast, translated, linguist and educationalist. He lived for long periods in southeastern Asia, the United States of America, and Europe along Mediterranean Sea as well as England. His fiction embraces the Malayan trilogy ( The Long Day Wanes ) on the dying days of empire in the east. The Enderby quartet concerns a poet and his muse. Nothing like the Sun re-creates love life of William Shakespeare. He explores the nature of evil with Earthly Powers , a panoramic saga of the 20th century. He published studies of James Joyce, Ernest Miller Hemingway, Shakespeare, and David Herbert Lawrence. He produced the treatises Language Made Plain and A Mouthful of Air . His journalism proliferated in several languages. He translated and adapted Cyrano de Bergerac , Oedipus the King , and Carmen for the stage. He scripted Jesus of Nazareth and Moses the Lawgiver for the screen. He invented the prehistoric language, spoken in Quest for Fire . He composed the Sinfoni Melayu , the Symphony (No. 3) in C , and the opera Blooms of Dublin .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
February 20, 2018
Takip etmesi zor ama eğlenceli bir hikaye. Orijinal dilinde okunsa çok daha fazla keyif alınabilir. Kelime oyunlarıyla dolu bir eseri çevirmenin zorluğunu tahmin edebiliyorum ancak ilave açıklamalar ve dipnotlarla belki biraz daha geliştirilebilirdi.
May 15, 2013
This rambunctious brain-surgery-gone-bad comedy is the liveliest and most schizophrenic novel from Burgess yet. The professor protagonist Edwin is scheduled for a brain operation from an eccentric trumpet-playing doctor, but after his head is shaved for the procedure, flees the hospital into an underworld of kettle-selling sadomasochists, phonetic Cockney wideboys, German vamps, bald-headed men competitions, and promiscuously adulterous wives. Rich in various dialects (East London to German to Scots to RP) and whizz-bang verbal dexterity, this comic novel sees Burgess coming into his own as a master of language and intellectually accessible humour—a barmily unpredictable writer capable of seemingly anything. Seriously hilarious.
December 21, 2011
In many ways "The Doctor is Sick" is very much like "A Clockwork Orange," Burgess' mega-hit novel. The structure of the main character going through a difficult journey is the same -and confronting surreal or out-of-wack situations via the journey is part of the fun in both Burgess books. Also I think the main draw to Burgress' work is his language play. Here is an author who loves the accent of the local population - and being set in London, its highly an adventure to accents and class structures. I didn't love the novel, but found it very interesting. I think because I am obsessed with London as a literary landscape, and Burgess uses that landscape quite well.
December 2, 2020
Absolutely bonkers. Burgess has a knack for conjuring hilarity, and the laughter ensues throughout the entire story. The novel is gritty, ribald, absurd. Burgess appears here as the predecessor to other comic writers of the next generation like Martin Amis. A quick, fun read.
April 28, 2019
Kitabın bazı kısımlarında , yazarın içine serpiştirirken keyif aldığı kelime oyunları, aksanlar, filolojik kökenler bana bir şey ifade etmediği için; gözüne far tutulmuş tavşan gibi bakakaldım. Bu konulara hakim olmayanlar verimli bir okuma yapamayıp , sadece olayların akışını takiple yetinmeleri gerekiyor.
June 24, 2016
Biraz postmodern denilen tarzda, zaman zaman dıkıcı ve zorlamalı, keyifli bir okuma sunmuyor. Neden bu kadar övgü almış anlamadım.
March 27, 2025
dziwne ale nie w moim stylu, czytając ją w trakcie zajęć z psychiatrii stwierdzam że lepiej się bawiłam słuchając historii pacjentów ze schizofrenią
May 14, 2023
A darkly comic, wildly inventive novel by the remarkable Anthony Burgess, and it's a book that I'm delighted to award a full five-star rating. It is a story that weaves together strands of surrealism, irony, and introspection, making it a unique and memorable read.
The novel centres around Dr. Edwin Spindrift, a linguistics professor who is hospitalized due to a brain tumor. In his delirium, he escapes from the hospital and embarks on a surreal odyssey through the seedy underbelly of London. Along the way, he encounters a cast of bizarre characters, each more eccentric than the last, reflecting the disordered state of his mind.
Burgess's writing shines in his depiction of Spindrift's linguistic prowess and his descent into a kind of madness. The author's own background in linguistics enriches the narrative, offering fascinating insights into the power and playfulness of language. The way Spindrift's academic insights blend with his hallucinations results in a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and wildly entertaining.
The novel's strength lies in its satirical and ironic tone. Burgess mocks everything from academia and medicine to religion and morality. His portrayal of London's underbelly, with its colorful characters and moral ambiguities, serves as a sharp contrast to Spindrift's sterile academic life, offering a critique of the ivory tower of academia and its detachment from reality.
Yet, amid the dark humor and surrealism, "The Doctor is Sick" is also a story of personal transformation. Spindrift's journey, both literal and metaphorical, leads him to confront his own fears and insecurities. It's a tale of a man stripped of his intellectual defenses, forced to navigate a world that's as absurd as it is menacing.
In conclusion, "The Doctor is Sick" is a brilliant blend of the cerebral and the surreal, filled with dark humor, linguistic playfulness, and profound insights. It is a testament to Burgess's ability to craft narratives that are as entertaining as they are thought-provoking. It's a thrilling ride from start to finish, making it fully deserving of a five-star rating.
The novel centres around Dr. Edwin Spindrift, a linguistics professor who is hospitalized due to a brain tumor. In his delirium, he escapes from the hospital and embarks on a surreal odyssey through the seedy underbelly of London. Along the way, he encounters a cast of bizarre characters, each more eccentric than the last, reflecting the disordered state of his mind.
Burgess's writing shines in his depiction of Spindrift's linguistic prowess and his descent into a kind of madness. The author's own background in linguistics enriches the narrative, offering fascinating insights into the power and playfulness of language. The way Spindrift's academic insights blend with his hallucinations results in a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and wildly entertaining.
The novel's strength lies in its satirical and ironic tone. Burgess mocks everything from academia and medicine to religion and morality. His portrayal of London's underbelly, with its colorful characters and moral ambiguities, serves as a sharp contrast to Spindrift's sterile academic life, offering a critique of the ivory tower of academia and its detachment from reality.
Yet, amid the dark humor and surrealism, "The Doctor is Sick" is also a story of personal transformation. Spindrift's journey, both literal and metaphorical, leads him to confront his own fears and insecurities. It's a tale of a man stripped of his intellectual defenses, forced to navigate a world that's as absurd as it is menacing.
In conclusion, "The Doctor is Sick" is a brilliant blend of the cerebral and the surreal, filled with dark humor, linguistic playfulness, and profound insights. It is a testament to Burgess's ability to craft narratives that are as entertaining as they are thought-provoking. It's a thrilling ride from start to finish, making it fully deserving of a five-star rating.
April 25, 2021
This book is meant to have that characteristic of unreality to make it feel like it might possibly feel like to have a brain tumor. I think it is also hilariously funny in a dry subtle way. So much happens in a short story with commentary on love - romantic love, sexual love, and love of one's occupation. I hardly know what to think of the marriage of the main character. But, put the man at the front of the room and ask him to "teach" and he is like a wind-up toy that just keeps going on and on. It is a sort of sly book. I enjoyed it a lot.
November 16, 2008
This is a very funny book. You will enjoy it in a bit different way if you know that A. Burgess was diagnosed with a brain tumor that time, and went through all the most unpleasant brain checks himself.
January 31, 2023
Kitabın ilk sayfasından son sayfasına kadar yerli bir uzaylı olma hissi zihninize hakim oluyor, zaten bu bir Burgess tarzıdır her zaman modern bir varoluşçu kafasıyla yazar kitaplarını ama bu seferki varoluşçuluğun dibine vurmuş. Sahte ve gerçek arasında büyük bir çatışma söz konusu, dilbilimci olan edwinin derste düşüp bayılması ve hastalığı sebebiyle londra’ya sevk edilmesi ;yani onun hasta olmasıyla başlıyor roman, hastanede kaldığı süre zarfı içerisinde kendisini efektif olmayan hatta tabiri caizse bir nesne gibi hissettiği anlar çok fazla oluyor, üstünde yapıldığı deneyler doktor ya da hemşirelerin ona olan tavırları Edwin bu zamanlarda kesinlikle kendisini işlevsiz hissediyordu ameliyat olmadan bir önceki gece beyninde olan tümörü umursamadan hastaneden pijamalarıyla kaçıyor ve karısını aramaya koyuluyor, karısı bu süre zarfında sinir bozucu bir şekilde barlarda takılıyor ve Edwin’le asla ilgilenmiyordu, bu yüzden karısından tiksindim. Bunun dışında karısı da ona bir nesne gibi davranır çünkü beyninde tümör olup ameliyatla bunun alınacağından kendi haberi yokken doktor ilk karısıyla konuşmuş ve karısı ona sormadan işleme onay vermiştir.
bu nesneleştirmeye ilk başkaldırış ameliyat gecesi hastaneden kaçmasıyla gerçekleşir. seçme özgürlüğü olan birey gibi davranmıştır çünkü, kaçtıktan sonra şehrin getto sokaklarında bambaşka bir yaşam tarzına adım atıp farklı tarzda tiplerle tanışıp başka gerçekliklerin içine dalıyor ve bu noktadan itibaren şunu görmeye başlıyoruz: içinde bulunduğumuz sistemde ya da toplumsal gerçeklikte insan kendi kimliğini kendi kuran bu yüzden de bir özne olan ve bunu da seçme özgürlüğüyle gerçekleştiren bir varlık olduğu rahatlıkla söylenebilir yani kimliğimiz benliğimiz bu yanılsamayla inşa edilir ama kitabın olay akışı aslında tam olarak bu gerçekliğin, kimliğin yanılsama olduğunu ve edwin üzerinden bizim gerçek zannettiğimiz her şeyin toplumsal normlar,kurallar, ilişkilerimiz ve yaşama biçimlerimizin aslında sahte olduğunu anlatmaya çalışır. Kısacası sahte olan var olmayan bir kimlikle gerçeği yaşadığımızı zannederken içi boşaltılmış, kimliksiz , yanılsamalardan ibaret olan bir hayat yaşarız
edwin ameliyat öncesi tıraş edilip kel kalmıştır ki en çok onu bu etkiler çünkü saç onun eski kimliğinin parçasıdır aslında bu bir semboldür; kaçarken önce yün bereyle, sonra perukla kelini kapatmaya çalışır bu bir nevi henüz eski kimliğini bırakmaya hazır olmadığının bir ipucudur. Bunun gibi bir çok analizini yapabileceğiniz ya da metoforlaştırabileceğiniz öğeler mevcut, yazıldığından daha fazlası olduğunu söyleyebilirim
bu nesneleştirmeye ilk başkaldırış ameliyat gecesi hastaneden kaçmasıyla gerçekleşir. seçme özgürlüğü olan birey gibi davranmıştır çünkü, kaçtıktan sonra şehrin getto sokaklarında bambaşka bir yaşam tarzına adım atıp farklı tarzda tiplerle tanışıp başka gerçekliklerin içine dalıyor ve bu noktadan itibaren şunu görmeye başlıyoruz: içinde bulunduğumuz sistemde ya da toplumsal gerçeklikte insan kendi kimliğini kendi kuran bu yüzden de bir özne olan ve bunu da seçme özgürlüğüyle gerçekleştiren bir varlık olduğu rahatlıkla söylenebilir yani kimliğimiz benliğimiz bu yanılsamayla inşa edilir ama kitabın olay akışı aslında tam olarak bu gerçekliğin, kimliğin yanılsama olduğunu ve edwin üzerinden bizim gerçek zannettiğimiz her şeyin toplumsal normlar,kurallar, ilişkilerimiz ve yaşama biçimlerimizin aslında sahte olduğunu anlatmaya çalışır. Kısacası sahte olan var olmayan bir kimlikle gerçeği yaşadığımızı zannederken içi boşaltılmış, kimliksiz , yanılsamalardan ibaret olan bir hayat yaşarız
edwin ameliyat öncesi tıraş edilip kel kalmıştır ki en çok onu bu etkiler çünkü saç onun eski kimliğinin parçasıdır aslında bu bir semboldür; kaçarken önce yün bereyle, sonra perukla kelini kapatmaya çalışır bu bir nevi henüz eski kimliğini bırakmaya hazır olmadığının bir ipucudur. Bunun gibi bir çok analizini yapabileceğiniz ya da metoforlaştırabileceğiniz öğeler mevcut, yazıldığından daha fazlası olduğunu söyleyebilirim
June 29, 2018
El doctor (en lingüística) Edwin Spindrift termina en el hospital por un colapso mental que sufrió. Además, está sufriendo de impotencia (o falta de líbido, más bien). Además, su esposa tiende a pasar sus ratos libres con otros hombres. Además, ella tiende a mandar a algunos de esos hombres al hospital a que le hagan compañía a Edwin en lugar de ella. Además, está teniendo dudas sobre su operación cerebral. El resultado de esto es que él huye del hospital y, por falta de dinero, ropa y no saber dónde ir, termina en los bajos barrios rodeado de individuos súper raros.
La novela en su mayor parte es una humorada, el viaje kafkiano de un pobre hombre demasiado obsesionado con juegos de palabras y la estructura de palabras en un mundo que no conoce ni comprende mucho; en muchos aspectos recuerda a la película de Scorsese After Hours. No es una novela particularmente profunda, salvo por los juegos de palabras que se elaboran, pero es divertida y exige algo más que sólo una lectura superficial. El final también es apropiado para el nivel de disparates que el protagonista presencia.
La novela en su mayor parte es una humorada, el viaje kafkiano de un pobre hombre demasiado obsesionado con juegos de palabras y la estructura de palabras en un mundo que no conoce ni comprende mucho; en muchos aspectos recuerda a la película de Scorsese After Hours. No es una novela particularmente profunda, salvo por los juegos de palabras que se elaboran, pero es divertida y exige algo más que sólo una lectura superficial. El final también es apropiado para el nivel de disparates que el protagonista presencia.
October 10, 2011
It made me very uncomfortable. The narrator was delightfully, crazily unreliable, and it was so darkly funny it was hardly funny, sometimes. I don't know. I wanted to like it more than I did, but I'm a precious flower and I hate the idea of having nowhere to sleep at night, so when characters choose such a lifestyle, I find it difficult to enjoy the story. Which is stupid, I know.
I never expected to like any Burgess, though, so at least that's over. If I didn't need so much to identify with a character, I'd have enjoyed the story more, but it was all so alien and kind of wonderfully horrible I had a harder time with it than necessary.
In sum: I appreciated the playing with language, but overall it left me cold in a way that speaks poorly about my ability to read a book than the book itself. The end.
I never expected to like any Burgess, though, so at least that's over. If I didn't need so much to identify with a character, I'd have enjoyed the story more, but it was all so alien and kind of wonderfully horrible I had a harder time with it than necessary.
In sum: I appreciated the playing with language, but overall it left me cold in a way that speaks poorly about my ability to read a book than the book itself. The end.
May 23, 2023
Nagyon régi elvarratlan szál volt ez a könyv. Emlékszem, hogy valamikor tizenakárhány évvel ezelőtt én ezt már korábban elkezdtem a kollégiumba be és haza vonatozások közepette, de valamiért akkor abbahagytam, viszont azóta is többször eszembe jutott, hogy egyszer a végére kell járnom ennek a történetnek. Hiszen maga a történet nagyon jó, a nyelvészet professzora az agyműtétje elött (?) megszökik a kórházból (?) és belekeveredik a londoni alvilág forgatagába, ahol aztán képtelenebbnél képtelenebb eseményekbe csöppen. A regény maga tele van szórakoztató és izgalmas figurákkal, nagyon nem lehet unatkozni közöttük és a végére teljes meggyőződésemmé vált, amit maga az író is leír egy ponton: itt mindenki bolond (bár ez a mondat a főszereplőnk szájából hangzik el, méghozzá általa hozzátéve, hogy rajta kívül bolond itt mindenki, de azért kevés kétség férhet ahhoz, hogy valójában ő maga is az). Ebben a nyílt színi bolondokházában pedig nagyon hamar elfogy ez a 300 oldal. Nem egy világot megváltó regény, de nagyszerű szórakozás olvasni. A négy csillag mindenképpen jár.
August 25, 2025
I do like Burgess in the 70s, wildly 'problematic' by every modern yardstick, but very funny, and the old sod could really write. A surreal, queasy picaresque that feels almost Dickensian, an innocent abroad in a very grubby early 70s London, with a genuinely upbeat ending. they don't make like that anymore etc etc
September 15, 2020
I have an alternating 3-star/5-star relationship with Burgess, this falling into the former category. The titular doctor is a linguist, and the book is about the power of words, or perhaps the powerlessness of words in some cases. It is frequently funny, but sometimes impenetrably British and hard to understand. There isn’t much of a plot either, it’s more of an odyssey through the London underworld. Fun with colorful characters, though.
Fyi, in keeping with the linguist theme, there are some offensive words involved. Two stereotypically Jewish characters are described doing things ‘jewishly’, and there’s a recurring black dog named... well, you can probably guess. The name turns into a plot device, but the payoff isn’t worth the offense.
Fyi, in keeping with the linguist theme, there are some offensive words involved. Two stereotypically Jewish characters are described doing things ‘jewishly’, and there’s a recurring black dog named... well, you can probably guess. The name turns into a plot device, but the payoff isn’t worth the offense.
December 31, 2022
Dr. Spindrift is a foreigner stuck in a London hospital with a brain tumor. His wife, Sheila, isn't exactly the loving spouse she should be, abandoning him in his ward so that she can experience the liveliness of city life. The rest of the plot is like a fever dream in which Dr. Spindrift slips out of his hospital bed to seek out his wife amidst the chaotic, crime-ridden streets of 20th-century London. The book's real success lies in Anthony Burgess's play with language, which doesn't exactly make for light reading. I wouldn't recommend this book to readers for anything other than academic analysis.
February 23, 2020
I'm a bit disappointed having this as my introduction to Anthony Burgess. The writing is top notch and you can tell he truly cares about linguistics, but at the end of the day all I could think was: what's the point?
This question only deepens when you reach the last couple of chapters, making it feel like everything up to that point was for naught. I'm sure it all can be interpreted in different ways but it just didn't work for me.
Here's to hoping the next book I read of his improves my initial thoughts.
This question only deepens when you reach the last couple of chapters, making it feel like everything up to that point was for naught. I'm sure it all can be interpreted in different ways but it just didn't work for me.
Here's to hoping the next book I read of his improves my initial thoughts.
February 13, 2019
A wild, bewildering but occasionally wearisome ride. I'm not too interested in thick accents-as-humour, characters so exaggerated that they verge on the point of pure caricature, and games men play in pubs, so it wasn't as amusing as it might have been.
March 9, 2018
it's supposed to be a comedy but I thought it was uniformly sad. The more I read burgess the more I realize he was probably a significantly bitter or hateful person, portraying women, queers, racial minorities rarely as anything other than invariably villainous
September 22, 2019
I believe that there are certain writers that deserve to be read by all irrespective of their language, their genre, their content, or their book length. Anthony Burgess, for me, is one such author.
The Doctor is Sick wasn't great but neither was it bad or boring. It was decent.
The Doctor is Sick wasn't great but neither was it bad or boring. It was decent.
April 25, 2021
This book left barely any lasting impression upon me. Anthony Burgess has a trove of other novels that are absolutely divine, and I urge readers to choose this only as a last resort, as to not draw unfair conclusions to the writer himself.
February 9, 2023
The title is the spoiler of the book.
I can say that Anthony Burgess is one of my absolute favorite authors, and this story is one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There was humor, suspense in a sense, confusion and at times was completely agonizing to read.
I can say that Anthony Burgess is one of my absolute favorite authors, and this story is one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There was humor, suspense in a sense, confusion and at times was completely agonizing to read.
August 23, 2008
Read this in the hospital, which is a very fitting place.
October 1, 2012
Terribly interesting, brilliant language, intriguing characters.
February 29, 2020
Bizarre
Why I expected anything different from the author of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE I have no idea. Still not sure what I just read.
Why I expected anything different from the author of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE I have no idea. Still not sure what I just read.
July 23, 2020
Excellent
Captivating. A masterwork of unreliable narration. Humor, terrific accents, imaginative, with a light touch and yet at the very end a profound and disturbing mobius twist.
Captivating. A masterwork of unreliable narration. Humor, terrific accents, imaginative, with a light touch and yet at the very end a profound and disturbing mobius twist.
October 24, 2023
Kellopeli appelsiini -romaanillaan (A Clockwork Orange, 1962) kohahduttaneen Anthony Burgessin aiempi romaani Pipopää potilas, 1973 (The Doctor Is Sick, 1960) kertoo lingvistiikan tohtori Edwin Spindriftista, joka makaa lontoolaisessa sairaalassa valmistautumassa aivoleikkaukseen. Spindriftin pää ajellaan kaljuksi ja ennen leikkausta hän joutuu käymään läpi operaatiota edeltäviä moninaisia nöyryyttäviä ja kivuliaita kokeita, kunnes kyllästyy itsensä esineellistämiseen ja pakenee harhailemaan Lontoon kaduille. Asusteenaan vain sairaalapyjama ja kaljua peittävä pipo Edwin etsii kapakoissa huiskentelevaa vaimoaan, jolla on kaikki hänen rahanasa. Aivoinfarktista johtuvat aistiharhat ja pyörtymiskohtaukset eivät vähennä tohtorin haastetta.
Mielenkiintoisesta alkuasetelmasta lähtevä Pipopää potilas ei onnistu ikävä kyllä ylläpitämään jännitettään kovinkaan kauan. Kerronta latistuu laahavaksi ja hieman sekavaksi tapahtumien ketjuksi, eikä henkilöhahmoihin saada syvyyttä. Tökerö suomennoskaan ei lukukokemusta paranna. Burgessin tausta englanninkielisen kirjallisuuden ja fonetiikan parissa huokuu yksityiskohdista; huumoria väännetään niin bilabiaalisista frikatiiveista kuin gutturaalisista klusiileista, mutta näihin lingvistisiin yksityiskohtiinkin olisi toivonut hieman enemmän malttia ja syvyyttä. Nyt koko teosta vaivaa hätäilyn ja roiskimisen maku.
Burgess kirjoitti urallaan yli 50 teosta, joista vain kolme on suomennettu. Onneksi sain hankittua myös tuon kolmannen suomennoksen, Peli kahdelle pelaajalle, 1971 (Tremor of Intent, 1966), jotta voin palata varsin mielenkiintoisen kirjailijan pariin vielä myöhemminkin.
Arvioni: 2,8 tähteä viidestä.
Mielenkiintoisesta alkuasetelmasta lähtevä Pipopää potilas ei onnistu ikävä kyllä ylläpitämään jännitettään kovinkaan kauan. Kerronta latistuu laahavaksi ja hieman sekavaksi tapahtumien ketjuksi, eikä henkilöhahmoihin saada syvyyttä. Tökerö suomennoskaan ei lukukokemusta paranna. Burgessin tausta englanninkielisen kirjallisuuden ja fonetiikan parissa huokuu yksityiskohdista; huumoria väännetään niin bilabiaalisista frikatiiveista kuin gutturaalisista klusiileista, mutta näihin lingvistisiin yksityiskohtiinkin olisi toivonut hieman enemmän malttia ja syvyyttä. Nyt koko teosta vaivaa hätäilyn ja roiskimisen maku.
Burgess kirjoitti urallaan yli 50 teosta, joista vain kolme on suomennettu. Onneksi sain hankittua myös tuon kolmannen suomennoksen, Peli kahdelle pelaajalle, 1971 (Tremor of Intent, 1966), jotta voin palata varsin mielenkiintoisen kirjailijan pariin vielä myöhemminkin.
Arvioni: 2,8 tähteä viidestä.
December 8, 2019
Burgesstől szinte bármit hajlandó vagyok elolvasni, hiszen zseniális könyveket ír. A könyveiben a karakterek élnek és sziporkáznak ezért is nagyon olvasmányos a könyve, még akkor is, ha a főhős éppenséggel egy bűnöző, vagy egy bélproblémákkal küzdő költő.
Az általam olvasott Burgess könyvek közül a gyengébbek közé tartozik, számomra kicsit sok volt az abszurditás (bár a végső fordulat függvényében érthető) és a főhős logikája erősen kicsavart volt. Talán csak az a bajom, hogy nem tudtam kötődni hozzá, mert teljesen logikátlan számomra a gyógyulás elől való menekülés. A nyelvészeti tantételek kifejezetten érdekesek voltak a könyvben, de számomra ettől sem lett igazán érdekes. Egynek jó volt, de ha Burgesst akar olvasni az ember, akkor ennél sokkal jobban is választhat.
Az általam olvasott Burgess könyvek közül a gyengébbek közé tartozik, számomra kicsit sok volt az abszurditás (bár a végső fordulat függvényében érthető) és a főhős logikája erősen kicsavart volt. Talán csak az a bajom, hogy nem tudtam kötődni hozzá, mert teljesen logikátlan számomra a gyógyulás elől való menekülés. A nyelvészeti tantételek kifejezetten érdekesek voltak a könyvben, de számomra ettől sem lett igazán érdekes. Egynek jó volt, de ha Burgesst akar olvasni az ember, akkor ennél sokkal jobban is választhat.
February 26, 2025
La locura y la lucha del individuo contra la sociedad son la base de Burgess en casi todas sus novelas. No es de extrañar que el imaginario del autor produjera obras como La naranja mecánica o 1985. “El doctor está enfermo”, a pesar de ser una de sus novelas iniciales, también trae consigo un mundo escandaloso, casi onírico, similar a una distopía.
Edwin es un filólogo que ha sido diagnosticado con un tumor cerebral, problema que trajo consigo los desmayos que preocuparon a su esposa Sheila. Pero este no sería el principal problema, sino el desinterés sexual de Edwin.
Sheila, en cambio, tiene una actitud desenfrenada con el sexo. Aquello no representa un problema en su relación con Edwin, quien sabe de sus amoríos.
Edwin, sin embargo, se siente cosificado en el hospital donde lo internaron, siendo las visitas de Sheila su motivación para aguantar ese trato y posterior operación cerebral.
La pasividad de Edwin se termina cuando ve que su esposa no asiste en los horarios de visita y, en cambio, manda a extraños a que la suplanten. Lo que lleva que Edwin, progresivamente, busque huir del hospital y salir a buscarla por aquel submundo de la ciudad londinense.
La novela tiene toques satíricos, aterrador a veces; muestra personajes inconcebibles en el ideario popular. Y, como siempre, el juego lingüístico de Burgess, que le da ese sello característico que perfeccionó en La naranja mecánica.
Edwin es un filólogo que ha sido diagnosticado con un tumor cerebral, problema que trajo consigo los desmayos que preocuparon a su esposa Sheila. Pero este no sería el principal problema, sino el desinterés sexual de Edwin.
Sheila, en cambio, tiene una actitud desenfrenada con el sexo. Aquello no representa un problema en su relación con Edwin, quien sabe de sus amoríos.
Edwin, sin embargo, se siente cosificado en el hospital donde lo internaron, siendo las visitas de Sheila su motivación para aguantar ese trato y posterior operación cerebral.
La pasividad de Edwin se termina cuando ve que su esposa no asiste en los horarios de visita y, en cambio, manda a extraños a que la suplanten. Lo que lleva que Edwin, progresivamente, busque huir del hospital y salir a buscarla por aquel submundo de la ciudad londinense.
La novela tiene toques satíricos, aterrador a veces; muestra personajes inconcebibles en el ideario popular. Y, como siempre, el juego lingüístico de Burgess, que le da ese sello característico que perfeccionó en La naranja mecánica.
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