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Birth
William Golding was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. His father worked as a schoolmaster, while his mother was an active suffragette who fought for women’s right to vote. -
Oxford
He started to study science in Brasenose College at Oxford. He spent 2 years in that subject and then switched to literature in his third year at the school. -
Published "Poems"
A year before graduating from Oxford University, he published his first work which was a book of poetry titled "Poems" -
Graduation
He graduated from Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education. -
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Work
Golding worked as a writer, actor, and producer with a small theater in an unfashionable part of London, paying his bills with a job as a social worker. -
Marriage
He married Ann Brookfield and moved to a house near Falmouth, Cornwall. -
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Teaching
He taught english and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Sailsbury, England. The period of time he spent as a teacher was interrupted by his time at the Navy. Golding’s experience teaching rebellious young boys would later be an inspiration for his novel "Lord of the Flies". -
First Child
He had his first child with Ann. The child was born a boy and was named David Golding. -
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Joined the Navy
He temporarily left teaching to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II. He said “I began to see what people were capable of doing. Anyone who moved through those years without understanding that man produces evil as a bee produces honey, must have been blind or wrong in the head.”, this experience also was inspiration for his novel. -
Second Child
He had his second child with Ann. The child was born a girl and was named Judith Golding. -
Published "Lord of the Flies"
He published his first and most successful novel called "Lord of the Flies". Since its publishing, it has been considered a classic and a good book to discuss and analize among classmates and friends. -
"The Inheritors"
"The Inheritors" was his second novel. It was a depiction of how the violent, deceitful Homo sapiens achieved victory over the gentler Neanderthals -
Royal Society of Literature
After the publishing of "Lord of the Flies", he was granted membership in the Royal Society of Literature -
"Pincher Martin"
His third book it's about a Navy lieutenant called Christopher Martin who is thrown from his ship during combat in World War II. He finds a rock to cling to, and the rest of the story is related from this vantage point, detailing his struggle for survival and recounting the details of his life. -
"Free Fall"
In his fourth book he uses the flashback technique of Pincher Martin more extensively. Unlike his first three novels, Free Fall is told with a first person narrator, an artist named Samuel Mountjoy. Golding uses the character Mountjoy to comment on the conflict between rationalism and faith. -
Film Adaptation
Peter Brook made a film adaptation of Golding's most successful novel. -
"The Spire"
His fifth published book. It's about a fourteenth-century Dean of Barchester Cathedral that decides that God wants a 400-foot-high spire added to the top of the cathedral, although the cathedral's foundation is not sufficient to hold the weight of the spire. The novel tells the story of the human costs of the spire's construction and the lessons that the Dean learns too late. -
Commander of the British Empire
He received the honorary designation Commander of the British Empire (CBE). -
"The Hot Gates and Other Occasional Pieces"
One of the three collections of essays that he published. -
"The Pyramid"
His sixth novel provides an examination of English social class within the context of a town named Stilbourne. A primary issue in this story is music, and the novel utilizes the same structure as the musical form sonata. -
"The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels"
His seventh book is a collection of three short novels. Each story explores the negative repercussions of technological progress -
"Darkness Visible"
His next novel addresses the interdependence of good and evil, exemplified in the two main characters. -
"Rites of Passage"
This novel is a part of "The Sea Trilogy". The tilogy consists of three novels that follow the emotional education and moral growth of an aristocratic young man named Edmund Talbot during an ocean voyage to Australia in 1812. This one shows Talbot's spiritual growth. -
Booker Prize
His novel Rites of Passage won the Booker Prize, a prestigious British award. -
A Moving Target
One of the three collections of essays that he published. -
Novel Prize
He was awarded the Novel Prize for Literature for his novel "Lord of the Flies". -
"The Paper Men"
This is considered Goldin's worst work because the novel seemed to condemn literary critics. The plot concerns an elderly novelist trying to elude a young scholar who wants to write his biography. -
"An Egyptian Journal"
One of the three collections of essays that he published. -
"Close Quarters"
This novel is a part of "The Sea Trilogy". This one depicts his emotional and aesthetic development. -
Knighted
William Golding was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. To be knighted is to be given a title by a British queen or king because of acheivements or service to the country. -
"Fire Down Below"
This novel is a part of "The Sea Trilogy". This one, the last one, covers his political enlightenment. -
New Film Adaptation
A new "Lord of the Flies" film adaptation was made. This brought the book a lot of attention from young readers. -
Death
William Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England.