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Period: to
William Goldings Lifetime
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First unsuccessful novel attempt
William received his early education at the school his father ran, Marlborough Grammar School. When William was just 12 years old, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to write a novel. -
Published first work called "Poems"
His father hoped he would become a scientist, but William opted to study English literature instead. In 1934, a year before he graduated, William published his first work, a book of poetry aptly entitled Poems. The collection was largely overlooked by critics. -
Married Ann Brookfield
Golding spent the last few years of his life quietly living with his wife, Ann Brookfield, at their house near Falmouth, Cornwall, where he continued to toil at his writing. -
Join the Royal Navy during WW2
Although passionate about teaching from day one, in 1940 Golding temporarily abandoned the profession to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II. -
David was born
The couple had married in 1939 and had two children, David (b. 1940) and Judith (b. 1945). -
Judith was born
The couple had married in 1939 and had two children, David (b. 1940) and Judith (b. 1945). -
Published "Lord of the Flies"
In 1954, after 21 rejections, Golding published his first and most acclaimed novel, Lord of the Flies. The novel told the gripping story of a group of adolescent boys stranded on a deserted island after a plane wreck. -
Won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature
In 1963, the year after Golding retired from teaching, Peter Brook made a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel. Two decades later, at the age of 73, Golding was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature. -
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
In 1988 he was knighted by England’s Queen Elizabeth II. -
Golding Died and the publishing of "The Golden Tongue"
On June 19, 1993, Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. After Golding died, his completed manuscript for The Double Tongue was published posthumously.