Anthony Burgess (John Anthony Burgess Wilson) (25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993), was an English writer and composer. He is best known for his dystopian novels A Clockwork Orange and The Wanting Seed. The former was adapted into as a controversial film by Stanley Kubrick, which Burgess said was chiefly responsible for the popularity of the book. No producer or director would dare adapt The Wanting Seed.
Burgess published many other novels, including the Enderby quartet, and Earthly Powers. He wrote librettos and screenplays, including the 1977 TV mini-series Jesus of Nazareth. He worked as a literary critic for several publications, including The Observer and The Guardian, and wrote studies of classic writers, notably James Joyce. A versatile linguist, Burgess lectured in phonetics, and translated Cyrano de Bergerac, Oedipus Rex, and the opera Carmen, among others.