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Birth
William Golding was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England.
His father was a rationalist and he worked as a school teacher. As Golding grew up he went to the school where his father taught. -
College
Golding went to Brasenose College at Oxford University. His father wanted him to study science, but after two years of it, he switched over to the literature program. Golding enjoyed writing poems, in fact one of his early works was a poem he wrote in college that was published as part of Macmillan's Contemporary Poets series. -
Teaching
He began work at the Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury teaching philosophy and English after he graduated from college. The boys that he taught at this school would later represent the boys depicted in his novel Lord of the Flies. -
The War
During this time Golding left teaching, and joined the Royal Army in their efforts in World War ll. For practically six years he worked as a soldier on a boat, coming to his own conclusions on the true nature of men. After his service he returned back to teaching in 1945. -
Lord of the Flies
Golding attempted to have his novel published 21 times before it was accepted. His story told of his views that he had established about life from both teaching and war, which he channeled through the characters of young boys. -
Awards and Later Life
Golding was honored for his writing on many different occasions, but his most successful was winning the Nobel Prize for Literature. Golding was married with two kids, and spent the end of his life near Falmouth, Cornwall until he died of a heart attack on June 19th, 1993, in Perranarworthal, Cornwall.
