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William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Newquay, Cornwall, England. Alec and Mildred Golding were his parents. -
William had a brother named Joseph. Golding grew up in a house next to a graveyard, which he was frightened of. The graveyard inspired many of his stories. William was also a rude child who found joy in hurting other children. This also inspired many of his novels. His parents were a schoolmaster and a suffragette, and he grew up with a background in rational thought and progressive ideas. He also enjoyed writing as a child. He also attempted to write his first novel at the age of 12.
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William Golding attended Marlborough Grammar School in his early years. This was a fancy and expensive boarding school. His father taught science there.
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William went to college at Brasenose College, which is a part of Oxford. He attended Oxford from 1930 to 1934. Golding originally studied natural sciences, but later decided to switch to English literature.
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In 1935, William Golding started teaching English and philosophy in Salisbury, England. In 1940, Golding joined the Royal Navy and served during World War 2. His experience in the military impacted the way he viewed humanity. After the war, in 1945, he started teaching again at Bishop Wordworth's School in Salisbury. In 1954, William Golding published "Lord of the Flies", his first major novel. Lastly, William retired from teaching in 1962 to focus on writing full-time. -
William Golding was married to Ann Brookfield. They met in 1939 and were married that same year. In September, 1940 they had their first kid, a son named David. William and Ann also had a daughter named Judith or Judy in July of 1945. Ann was a type of chemist and was very supportive of William's writing. The couple was married for 53 years. -
One interesting fact about William Golding is that when fighting in World War II, his whole life changed. He saw how evil and gruesome and cruel humans can be. This is what inspired many of the violent and tragic parts of his novels.
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The "Lord of the Flies" was published in 1954. Before the book was finally published, it got rejected over twenty times. This popular novel was inspired by William Golding's experiences during World War II such as, man vs man conflicts, cruelty, and brutality. -
William Golding won a prize called the Booker Prize in 1980. This award was given to him for his novel "Rites of Passage". This award is given for the best single work of sustained fiction written in the English language. -
William Golding also won another award for his amazing writing. It is called the Nobel Prize in Literature. He won this award for his contributions to literature. This award is awarded to people all over the globe for contributing greatly to literature. -
A fact about Golding is that he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. He was knighted for his many contributions to literature. He was and still is often called Sir William Golding after this. -
Sadly, William Golding passed away on June 19, 1993, in Perranarworthal, UK. He died due to congestive heart failure.