-
Date of Birth
William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Cornwall, England. He grew up in a house right next door to a graveyard. His mother fought for women’s right to vote, and his father worked as a teacher. -
Attempted Novel
When William was 12 years old, he tried to write a novel but was unsuccessful. With all the frustration he had from his failure he began to bully other students. -
College
In 1930, William began studying Science at Brasenose College at Oxford. During his college years, he decided to change into an English major. -
Poems
A year before he graduated William was able to publish his first book, a book of poetry. -
Teaching
In 1935, William decided to take after his father and took a position teaching at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury. -
World War ll
Even though William loved to teach he quit his job as a teacher to fight in World War ll. William joined the Royal Navy in 1940. -
1945
In 1945 World War ll had ended. After the war, William went back to teaching -
Lord of the Flies
In 1954 William published his first novel, Lord of the Flies. The book was published after 21 different rejections. -
Lord of The Flies Movie
1963 William Golding retired from his position as a teacher This was the same year a movie was created about William's book Lord of The Flies. -
Nobel Peace Prize
When William was 73, he was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature. This was 20 years after he retired from teaching. -
Knighted
In 1988 he was knighted by England’s Queen Elizabeth II. He was knighted as a result of his contributions to literature, -
Death
On June 19, 1993, William Golding passed away from a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. After he died one of his last works was published.