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Birth
He was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. His mother Mildred strongly supported the British suffragette movement. His father, Alec, was a schoolteacher and supported the idea that reason rather than experience was necessary and reliable in order to gain knowledge and understand the world. -
Education
Golding began attending Brasenose College at Oxford. He spent two years studying science, in his third year, admitted into the literature program to pursue his true interests. -
First work
William published his first book, a book of poetry titled Poems. The collection was largely dismissed by critics. -
Graduation
He graduated from Oxford, with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education. -
Teaching
Golding took a position teaching English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury. By teaching the young boys here, it sparked up an inspiration for his later work, Lord of the Flies. -
Marriage
He married Ann Brookfield and had two children. -
Joining the Navy
(1940-1945) Joined the Royal Navy and fought in World War II. He encountered many hardships and wrote about his experiences. This experience would be crucial to developing his book Lord of the Flies. -
Success
Golding published his first successful book, Lord of the Flies. The novel told about a group of young boys stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Lord of the Flies explored the wild side of human nature as the boys, betray one another and viciously turn against each other. The book examined the internal struggle between good and evil and set the tone for Golding’s future works. -
Adaptations of the book
The year after Golding retired, Peter Brook made a film adaptation of the successful novel. -
Recognition
Golding was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature. -
Knighted
In 1988 he was knighted by England’s Queen Elizabeth II. -
Death and Legacy
Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. After Golding died, his completed manuscript for The Double Tongue was published. -
Further adaptations of the book
A new film version of the Lord of the Flies was released, appealing to the new generation of readers.