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Birth
William Gerald Golding was born in Cornwall, England, on September 19, 1911. His parents were Mildred Curnoe, a strong supporter of the British suffrage movement and Alec Golding, a school teacher. -
Attended Oxford
William Golding attended Brasenose College at Oxford starting in 1930. Even though his father was a schoolteacher and wanted William to study literature, William instead chose to study science. However, in his third year, William followed his father's interest, switching to literature to pursue poetry. In 1935, he graduated from Oxford with a Bachelor of Arts in English and received a teaching diploma from Oxford in 1938. -
Taught at Salisbury
After college, in 1939, William Golding began teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury at Bishop Wordsworth's School. In the same year, he married Ann Brookfield, and they had two children. -
Served in the Royal Navy
William Golding temporarily abandoned his teaching career to fight in World War II in the Royal Navy. While he served in the Royal Navy, he had a lifetime pleasure being with the sea and sailing. Lieutenant Golding was in charge of rocket-launching craft. He quit the Navy and resumed teaching after the finish of the war. -
Published "Lord of the Flies" novel
"Lord of the Flies," one of William Golding's most prominent books was published in 1954, rejected 21 times. This book was inspired by his perception of the schoolboys. This book emphasizes both savagery and the rules of civilization in humanity, shown through the clash of two schoolboys named Jack and Ralph who crashed on an island. -
Film adaptation of "Lord of the Flies"
Due to the significant success of the novel "Lord of the Flies", William Golding agreed to allow a film adaptation. The film ended up being a box office hit. -
Won Nobel Prize in Literature
In 1983, at the age of 72, William Golding won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The excellence of his novels has influenced the world and civilization to this day. -
Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
Two decades after he wrote "Lord of the Flies," he was knighted. Sir William Golding was 75 years old when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. -
Death
Sir William Golding spent his last few years with his wife near Falmouth, Cornwall, where he continued to write. He died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall, on June 19, 1993.
