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Growing Up
Born in 1911 in Cornwall, England, William Golding was influenced by his mother's suffragette support and his father Alec's strong rationalist views. Alec, a schoolteacher, emphasized reason over emotion. Golding's childhood fear of the dark contrasted with his father's rationalist perspective, shaping his upbringing. He attended his father's school until college. -
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Education
Golding began at Oxford studying science but switched to literature in his third year, following his true passion. Despite dreaming of poetry, he later focused on fiction. His early poems, published at Oxford, revealed a growing skepticism of the rationalism he was raised on. Golding graduated in 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education. -
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Career and Later Years
From 1935 to 1939, Golding worked in London's theater scene while also being a social worker. He cited Greek tragedians and Shakespeare as major influences. After teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury from 1939 to 1961 (excluding his time in the Royal Navy during World War II), he devoted himself to full-time writing. Golding died in Cornwall in 1993. -
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William Golding’s Novels
Golding's five years in the navy (1940-1945) profoundly influenced him, exposing the cruelty of humanity. Reflecting on wartime, he claimed, "man produces evil, as a bee produces honey." In college, he had already rejected his father's rationalism and its belief in human perfectibility. Throughout his fiction, Golding grappled with the theme of evil, exploring the conflict between reason's civilizing impact and humanity's inherent desire for dominance. -
Royal Navy
During World War II, Golding spent most of his time at sea, developing a passion for sailing. He engaged in naval battles, including the sinking of the Bismarck, and commanded a rocket-launching craft. These experiences shaped his view of human nature, influencing his later writing. After the war, he resumed teaching and writing, drawing inspiration from his wartime adventures. -
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Lord of the Flies
"Lord of the Flies," published in 1954, draws on Golding's view of humanity and schoolboy experiences. Despite initial rejections, it became his first published novel, depicting the clash between savagery and civilization on a tropical island. Golding quickly followed with "The Inheritors" (1955), portraying the triumph of violent Homo sapiens over Neanderthals, a novel he cherished despite its complexity. -
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Free Fall
"Pincher Martin" (1956) depicts Navy lieutenant Christopher Martin's struggle for survival after a shipwreck during World War II. "Free Fall" (1959), Golding's next novel, narrated by artist Samuel Mountjoy, uses Dante's "La Vita Nuova" as inspiration, exploring the conflict between rationalism and faith. -
The Spire
In "The Spire" (1964), a 14th-century Dean of Barchester Cathedral decides to add a 400-foot-high spire, believing it's God's will, despite the cathedral's foundation issues. The novel explores the human costs of the spire's construction and depicts the Dean's belated realization of the consequences. -
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Other Work, and Honors and Awards
Golding's contributions include three collections of essays alongside his fiction works. He gained recognition with "Lord of the Flies" and received honors like membership in the Royal Society of Literature in 1955, CBE designation in 1965, knighthood in 1988, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983. His novel "Rites of Passage" won the Booker Prize in 1980. -
The Pyramid
"The Pyramid" (1967) delves into English social class dynamics in the ironically named town of Stilbourne. Focused on music as a central theme, the novel employs the sonata's structure to explore its narrative. -
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The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels
In "The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels" (1971), Golding explores the adverse effects of technological progress, challenging the prevailing technology worship of the space age. One novella, initially published in 1956, inspired the comedic play "The Brass Butterfly," first performed in London in 1958. -
Darkness Visible
In "Darkness Visible" (1979), Golding explores the interdependence of good and evil through two main characters: Sophy, plotting to kidnap a child for ransom, and Matty, sacrificing his life to prevent it. -
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The Sea Trilogy
"The Sea Trilogy" by Golding is a series of three novels following the journey of aristocratic young man Edmund Talbot during a voyage to Australia in 1812. "Rites of Passage" (1980) focuses on Talbot's spiritual growth, "Close Quarters" (1987) on his emotional and aesthetic development, and "Fire Down Below" (1989) on his political enlightenment. -
The Paper Men
Golding's 1984 novel, "The Paper Men," faced criticism for being perceived as his worst work, partly due to its apparent condemnation of literary critics. The plot revolves around an elderly novelist attempting to avoid a young scholar determined to write his biography.