Pressures on time meant that my re-reading of Anthony Burgess' classic is rather rushed.
Which doesn't give this masterpiece the justice it deserves.
Frequently it makes difficult reading, but it's hard to think of a novel that better examines and demonstrates the power of language to reflect and in turn shape a sub-culture.
Mind you on repeat reading, I'm struck by quite how much of Russell Brand's stage act/vocabulary is borrowed from these pages. Phrases like "vidi my droogies" were always obvious enough direct lifts, but phrases like high-faluting and the like appear to be similar hat tips.
That said, whilst lack of time did leave me skim reading the final chapters, I'm fairly sure that Burgess isn't the origin of phrases like 'dinkle' and 'ball sack'. But you never know.
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