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William Gerald Golding is born on September 19 in Cornwall, England. His mother, Mildred, supports the British suffragette movement, and his father, Alec, is a schoolteacher who advocates rationalism.
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Golding grows up under his father’s influence, who is strict and promotes rationalism, which dismisses emotionally-based experiences such as fear.
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Golding attends Brasenose College, Oxford. Initially studying science to please his father, he switches to literature in his third year, driven by his own interests. He graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in education.
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Works in London as a writer, actor, and producer at a small theater while also working as a social worker. He cites Greek tragedians and Shakespeare as his main literary influences.
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Begins teaching English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury. He marries Ann Brookfield, and the couple has two children.
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Serves in the Royal Navy during World War II, a period that profoundly shapes his views on human nature and the capacity for cruelty. He asserts that "man produces evil, as a bee produces honey."
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Continues teaching at Bishop Wordsworth's School, except for five years during WWII. He focuses on writing in his spare time.
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Lord of the Flies is published, after being rejected by 21 publishers. The novel, examining humanity’s duality of savagery and civilization, draws from Golding’s experiences with schoolboys and his wartime experiences.
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Leaves teaching at Bishop Wordsworth's School to become a full-time writer.
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William Golding dies in Cornwall on June 19, 1993.