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Wiilliam Golding was born on September 19th, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. His mother, was a suffragette and his father was a schoolmaster.
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When William was 12 years old, he attempted to write a novel. His efforts were unsuccessful.
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A year before William graduated from Brasenose College at Oxford University, he published his first literary work. It was a book of poetry simply named "Poems".
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After graduating, William took a job teaching English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury. The unruly boys he taught would later serve as inspiration for his novel "Lord of the Flies".
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A year before joining the army, William would marry Ann Brookfield. They would remain married for the rest of William's life.
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During the second World War, Golding would join the Royal Navy. He'd eventually rise to the rank of Lieutenant across five years of battling battleships, submarines, and planes.
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After the war, Golding would return to his teaching profession. He would keep up this profession for 17 years.
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After almost two dozen rejections, Golding would publish his first novel, "Lord of the Flies". This novel is widely regarded as a classic.
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In 1983, Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1988 he was knighted by Elizabeth II, the Queen of England.
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On June 19th, 1993, Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. He was 81 years old.