"Anthony Burgess is a hugely prolific writer with more than 50 books to his credit."(Clune) John Anthony Burgess Wilson was born on 25 February 1917 in Harpurhey, Manchester, England and died on November 22, 1993 (76 years old). "St John's Wood, London, England Burgess began writing short stories at the age of 42. But it was only when he was told he had a brain tumor and only had a year to live that he began to write seriously and quickly , completing five novels and revising a sixth so that his wife would have an income after his death." (Clune) Thirty years later he published his thirtieth novel, Any Old Iron, and a collection of short stories, The Devil's Mode. (Clune) "In addition to novels and short stories, he has produced autobiography, criticism, books on language, verse, translations, children's stories, screenplays and a huge amount of journalism." (Clune) "Try to maintain the routine of writing a thousand words a day, every day, think of writing as a "job like any other thing, not some precious rite." (Clune) The key to much of his writing lies in his background. Burgess says growing up as a part-Irish Roman Catholic in Manchester gave him a lifelong sense of being different, perhaps even displaced. "but I was Catholic and in the North West we were a special case" and "I'm much more Irish than English. Sometimes I even convince people that I'm Irish." (Clune)"His dream as a young man was to become a composer, and when he entered the University of Manchester, he wanted to study music. However, without the scientific background required by the music department, he had to study English language and literature instead his personal tutor, whom he admired, was Dr L. C. Knights, author of Drama and Society in the Age or...... middle of paper ...... Burgess was asked so often about his productivity that he eventually developed a 'apologia based on his energy, hard work and pure love of writing". (Ingersoll) "Burgess also reminded his audience that, unlike many writers, especially in the United States, he supported himself entirely by his own writing and not as generously as some have done. In the preface to the bibliography of his Jeutonne Brewer's work, Burgess expresses wonder at having produced so many books and anger at having required so much writing to support himself." (Ingersoll)"In other words, Burgess imprinted his own personality on the story, reveled in a high-sounding rhetorical style, effortlessly revealed the past, and equally effortlessly captured the anguish and humor of the human condition. He was one of the world's greatest writers. English linguistic writers of this century". (MacDonald)