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Born
Born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England.
His mother was an active suffragette who fought for women's right to vote and his father was a schoolmaster. -
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School
He attended Malborough Grammar School, where his father worked. At 12 he tried writting a novel but failed, so as a frustrated child, he became a bully. -
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University
After school, he went to Brasenose College at Oxford University. His father wanted him to study science, but after two years of studying that he realised he really wanted to study Literature. In 1934, while studying, he published a serie of poems. Finally, in 1935, he graduated from college. -
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First Jobs
After college, he had many jobs, he worked as writer, actor and theater producer. He claimed that the theater was his strongest literary influence -
Marriage and Teaching
In 1939 he started teaching English and Philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth's School. His experience with the boys at this school would later serve as an inspiration for his novel "Lord Of The Flies". The same year he got married to Ann Brookfield, with whom he had two kids with. -
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Second World War
In 1940 he had to abandon his teaching job to serve in Royal Navy during the World War II. His experience fighting made him realise how evil a human can be. While writing his war experiences later, he said "man produces evil, as bees produce honey". Cleary this realisation was also a great inspiration for "Lord of the Flies" and many of the books he has written. When the war finished, he went back to his old work at teaching. -
Lord of the Flies
After 21 rejections, the Lord of the Flies could finally be published. In this book he combined his new perception of humanity with his experience with schoolboys and the political thoughts his father had. -
Retirement
This year Golding retired from his teaching position and dedicated his full time on writing. -
Nobel Prize
In 1983 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. -
Royal Positions
He received the honorary designation Commander of the British Empire and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. -
Death
He spent his last years writing and living with his wife Ann, in their house near Falmouth. He died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall.