International Anthony Burgess Foundation

24/06/2026

At the Burgess Foundation on Friday, we will host a public event exploring Umberto Eco's connection with British culture, 10 years after his death. Our keynote speaker will be Susan Bassnett, a world-renowned expert in translation studies and literature.

🎟️ Book your free ticket here: https://www.anthonyburgess.org/event/umberto-eco-in-britain/

19/06/2026

David Hockney, who died last week aged 88, frequently collaborated with other artists and writers, from his famous portrait of Christopher Isherwood to Hockney’s Alphabet, in which he illustrates each letter to go alongside a notable writer’s response. In this week’s newsletter, find out about Anthony Burgess’s contribution, a poem about the letter X.

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Anthony Burgess's collaboration with the late, great David Hockney.

18/06/2026

This Sunday afternoon, we welcome Canadian musicians Dr. Betty Allison (soprano), Michael Rose (piano) and Echo Mazur (clarinet) as they perform a song cycle based on the poetry of Anthony Burgess. Enjoyable music and a chance to natter about all things poetry and music – tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/concert-unavoidable-happenings-tickets-1985736453186

16/06/2026

☘️HAPPY BLOOMSDAY ☘️

Anthony Burgess spent much of his life trying to rescue James Joyce from what he called ‘the un-Guinnessed professors’. He wrote a guide to Joyce’s work for the average reader and tried to make Finnegans Wake more accessible. Unknown until after he died, he also prepared an abridged version of Ulysses as a way of helping readers discover the joys of Joyce’s masterwork.

We are delighted to be publishing this, along with his musical version of Ulysses, Blooms of Dublin, in paperback today!

Head to the Burgess Foundation’s affiliate bookshop at the link in our bio to pre-order.

12/06/2026

In celebration of Bloomsday next week, we are honouring an unsung figure in James Joyce’s life: his wife, Nora. Find out what Anthony Burgess (author of A Clockwork Orange) has to say about her in an article originally written on the centenary of Joyce in 1982.

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Anthony Burgess on the first biography of Nora Joyce

05/06/2026

In the week of Marilyn Monroe’s centenary, our latest newsletter explores Anthony Burgess’s thoughts on her films and her status as a symbol of American celebrity.

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Anthony Burgess on a Hollywood legend

29/05/2026

Music! Comedy! Talks! And… Umberto Eco?! It’s all happening at the Burgess Foundation in June. Click through to find out all our events listings, and how to engage with the Burgess Foundation if you are not in Manchester.

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Events at the Burgess Foundation in June 2026

22/05/2026

As the Guardian has just announced their 100 greatest novels of all time, in this week's newsletter, we look at literary lists, the forming of a canon, and the strangeness of Anthony Burgess’s own selection of favourite novels.

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Anthony Burgess and the art of the literary list

15/05/2026

Anthony Burgess was rarely photographed without his trademark Schimmelpenninck Duet cigar. In this week’s newspaper, he explores the history of the cigar and the allure of ‘prime stinkers’.

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Anthony Burgess considers the culture of cigar-smoking

13/05/2026

🚨 Breaking news

The WINNER of the 2026 Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism is Ciarán O’Rourke for their review of Miguel Conner’s biography The Occult Elvis: The Mystical and Magical Life of the King. Congratulations! Ciarán wins £3000 and publication in The Observer newspaper.

The 2026 runners-up, each receiving £500, are:
No’a L. bat Miri for their review of Siri Broch Johansen’s opera Ovllá at Oulu2026
Julia Clayton for their review of the 150th Anniversary Exhibition at The Atkinson

A huge thanks to everyone who entered, and to our judges. The results were announced at a packed ceremony in Bloomsbury this evening. 🏆