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William Golding was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. His mother, Mildred, was an active suffragette who fought for women’s right to vote. His father, Alex, worked as a schoolmaster.
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Golding began attending Brasenose College at Oxford in 1930 and spent two years studying science, in deference to his father's beliefs. He switched to the literature program, following his true interests.
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Golding graduated from Brasenose College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education. He then went on to teaching English and philosophy.
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From 1935 to 1939, Golding worked as a writer, actor, and producer with a small theater in an unfashionable part of London. He paid his bills with a job as a social worker.
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Golding began teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury at Bishop Wordsworth's School. That same year, he married Ann Brookfield, with whom he had two children
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Golding temporarily abandoned the profession. He quit to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II.
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World War II had ended and Golding went back to teaching. He left teaching to fight in the war
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"Lord of the Flies" was published in 1954. It was rejected by 21 publishers.
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Golding retired from teaching. He worked in Salisbury for many years
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Golding was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature He was rewarded for "his novels which, with the perspicuity of realistic narrative art and the diversity and universality of myth, illuminate the human condition in the world of today".
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On June 19, 1993, Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. He died at 81;a heart attack was the probable cause
