A Clockwork Orange is a novel by Anthony Burgess. Published in 1962, it is set in a near-future dystopian England that is plagued with a youth culture of severe violence and delinquency. The story is told from the perspective of Alex, a teenager who is the leader of his gang of violent friends. When Alex eventually gets caught up in his antics, he is put through intense, government-sanctioned aversion therapy, which seeks to reform his behavior.