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William Golding was born on September 19, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. He was raised in a 14th-century house next door to a graveyard. His mother, Mildred, fought for women's right to vote. -
William received an early education at Marlborough Grammar School, a school his father ran. When William was 12, he tried to write his own novel, which came out unsuccessfully. As a frustrated child, he enjoyed bullying his peers. Later in life, he would go as far as to say, "I enjoyed hurting people."
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After William went to primary school, he attended Brasenose College at Oxford University. His father wanted him to become a scientist, but William wanted to study English literature instead. In 1934, a year before he graduated, he published his first book titled Poems. The collection was largely overlooked by critics.