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Birth
William Golding was born on September 19, 1911 in the town of Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. He was raised in a 14-th century house next to a graveyard by an active suffragette (mother) and a schoolmaster (father). -
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Early Education
WIlliam attended the school his father ran, Marlborough Grammar School. During this time, he took out his frustration by bullying his peers. -
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College
After primary school, William attended Brasenose College at Oxford University to study science as his father wished, but William instead decided to study English literature instead. -
Switching to Literature Major
In his 3rd year of college, William Golding switches his major from science to english literature. -
Graduates from Oxford
In 1935 William Golding graduates Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education. -
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Beginning jobs and careers
From years 1935 to 1939, Golding worked as a writer, actor, and producer with a small theater, basically spending his life as a social literature. During this time he considered the theater his strongest influence. -
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Becomes a teacher
In 1939, Golding began to teach the English and philosophy subjects at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury. He remained as a teacher (disregarding the 5 years he spent in the Royal Navy during World War II) until 1961 when he left to write novels full time. -
Marriage
In 1939 William Golding met and married his wife, Ann Brookfield and had two children, David (born 1940) and Judith (born 1945). -
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Deployment in Royal Navy
During World War II, William Golding was deployed in the Royal Navy to fight. There he was greatly influenced by the war because there he was exposed to the horror and barbarity that humans are capable. -
Lord of the Flies publication
On September 17, 1954, after 21 rejections, Golding published his first and most famous novel, Lord of the Flies. The War that he had just participated in influenced most of the plot and morals of the book, exploring the savage side of human nature let loose from society. -
Membership to the Royal Society of Literature
After the publication of his most famous book, Lord of the Flies, Golding was given membership to the Royal Society of Literature in 1955. -
Death
On June 19, 1993, Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. He was 82 years old.
