William Golding

  • Birth

    He was born September 19, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England.
  • First unsuccessful novel

    When William was just 12 years old, he attempted, unsuccessfully, to write a novel.
  • College

    After primary school, he went on to attend Brasenose College at Oxford University.
  • Bishop

    In 1935 he started teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury at Bishop Wordsworth's School.
  • Marriage

    He married Ann Brookfield, with whom he had two children.
  • Royal Navy

    He temporarily left teaching in 1940 to join the Royal Navy.
  • First Novel

    In 1954 he published his first novel, Lord of the Flies.
  • Left Bishop

    He remained in the teaching position until 1961 when he left Bishop Wordsworth's School to write full time.
  • Nobel Prize

    In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
  • Death

    On June 19, 1993, William Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall.