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In 1988, Golding was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of England (Biography).
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In 1984, The Paper Men was published. This work was looked down upon by many because people believed Golding was trying to show his disapproval of literary critics. In this novel, a young writer who wants to write a biography is being persuaded to avoid writing by an elderly author (CliffNotes).
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At age 73, Golding was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature (Biography).
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The Sea Trilogy was a trilogy written by Golding in which a man named Edmond Talbot is on an ocean voyage to Australia in 1812. The first novel, Rites of Passage (p. 1980), depicts how Talbot grows spiritually, Close Quarters (p. 1987) portrays his emotional development, and his last novel, Fire Down Below (p. 1989) shows how he matures politically (CliffNotes).
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In 1979, Golding had his work, Darkness Visible, published. This novel revolves around a kidnap, where one character plots a kidnapping to get money while another character dies to prevent the kidnapping from occurring (CliffNotes).
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In 1971, The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels was published. Golding wrote these three novellas depicting how technological progress is slowly destroying society (CliffNotes).
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A decade after receiving the Royal Society of Literature membership, Golding is designated as Commander of the British Empire (CliffNotes).
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The Brass Butterfly, one of the novellas part of The Scorpion God: Three Short Novels was published in 1956. This was a comedic play and was first performed in 1958 in London (CliffNotes).
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Soon after publishing Lord of the Flies, Golding wrote The Inheritors. In the novel, Golding portrayed the brutality and deceitfulness of Homo sapiens in achieving their victory over Neanderthals. This novel is regarded as one difficult to understand for many, however it was Golding's favorite creation (CliffNotes).
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In 1955, Golding is granted membership in the Royal Society of Literature and thus becomes a member of the organization (CliffNotes).
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In 1954 Golding published Lord of the Flies, a novel intended to portray humanity's struggle with good versus evil. Prior to publishing the novel, Golding was rejected 21 times by his publishers. Lord of the Flies is Golding's first and most famous novel and has become a classic worldwide (Biography).
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WWII brought Golding many ideas for fiction, and once it ended, Golding resumed teaching and writing (Biography).
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In 1940, Golding joined the Royal Navy to contribute to the war effort by fighting in World War II. He spent most of World War II on a boat fighting battleships, submarines and planes. Eventually he developed a passion for sailing. However, he also spent 7 months in New York, where he was given the duty to assist Lord Cherwell at the Naval Research Establishment (Biography).
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William Golding and Ann Brookfield got married and had two children. They were David (born in 1940) and Judith (born in 1945) (Biography).
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Golding began teaching philosophy and English at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury. This teaching experience was later an inspiration to writing Lord of the Flies (Biography). (Note: CliffNotes states this occurred in 1939)
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From 1935 to 1939, Golding worked in London as a writer, producer and actor. He later believed that these Greek tragedies and Shakespeare plays were one of his biggest influences for his later works (CliffNotes).
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In 1934, Golding published Poems, a book filled with poetry that was often overlooked by critics. Poems was Golding's first work (Biography).
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Golding attended Brasenose College at Oxford University. Although his father wanted him to become a scientist, Golding chose to study English literature instead during his third year at Oxford because of his love for poetry. Golding graduated in 1935, majoring in arts and education (CliffNotes).
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Attended Marlborough Grammar School where father taught, attempted to write a novel (unsuccessfully) at age 12. As a frustrated child, Golding began bullying others and "enjoyed hurting people" (Biography).
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William Golding was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England to a suffragette (his mother Mildred) and a schoolmaster (his father Alex) (Biography).
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In 1993, William Golding died in Perranarworthal, Cornwall due to a heart attack. Shortly after, his unreleased work, The Double Tongue, was published (Biography).
