William Golding

The Younger Years He was born on September 19, 1911, in Cornwall, England. At about the age of 12 he decided to be a writer. He was influenced by his favorite childhood books: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Tarzan of the Apes, and Coral Island.

World War II Golding joined the Royal Navy in 1939. He saw quite a bit of action and even was involved in the D-Day naval support for the landings on the beaches of Normandy. His war experiences changed his view about mankind’s essential nature.

Before WWII and After Before WWII people thought that man was essentially good-hearted and society often was evil. After WWII many people could no longer believe in man’s basic innocence.

After the War Golding returned from to war and went back to teaching in a boy’s school. The characters in the book were influenced by the boys Golding taught.

Lord of the Flies This book was Golding’s fourth novel. After being turned down by 20 publishers, Lord of the Flies was accepted for publication in 1954. The book didn’t get a lot of recognition until the 1960’s.

Lord of the Flies Much of the novel is allegorical, meaning that the characters and objects in the novel have symbolic significance that help convey the novel’s central themes.

Two Different Criticisms 1: The book doesn’t allow you to have any opinion but his. 2: Others find Golding to be the greatest English writer of the time. You will need to decide for yourself.

Other Novels The Inheritors Pincher Martin Free Fall

The Latter Half of His Life In 1983 Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He retired from teaching in 1962. He died in 1993 from heart failure.