Burgess was much in demand as a public speaker, and would regularly appear at conferences and festivals. His training as a teacher, allied with his confident manner and extraordinary articulacy, enabled him to amuse and educate his audiences, sometimes at great length. Burgess’s lectures were usually very well prepared, and he would record a delivery of them at home beforehand to practice; recordings could also be taken live. His typescripts have not always survived, however, so these recordings are often the only versions of these texts that survive. Here is Burgess on the question of whether art can be immoral (spoiler: no), the legacy of Mozart, and the existence of a common European culture. There is also a clip of him giving a talk in French; we have talks by Burgess in German and Swedish elsewhere in our collections.

Anthony Burgess lecture at the Tate Gallery, 1990: Can Art Be Immoral?

Anthony Burgess on the legacy of Mozart

Anthony Burgess on European Culture

Anthony Burgess speaking in Nantes, 1984

Quick links: On A Clockwork Orange | On his novels | On Shakespeare | On the airwaves | At the podium | On his early life in Manchester | Anthony, Liana and Andrew Burgess at home | Musical writing | And popular music | Stage musicals | At the piano | Back to the Anthony Burgess On Tape home page

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