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William Golding was born September 19, 1911, in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England.
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In 1934, a year before he graduated, William published his first work, a book of poetry aptly entitled Poems.
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In 1935 Golding took a position teaching English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury.
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Golding spent the last few years of his life quietly living with his wife, Ann Brookfield, at their house near Falmouth, Cornwall, where he continued to toil at his writing. The couple had married in 1939 and had two children, David (b. 1940) and Judith (b. 1945).
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In 1940 Golding temporarily abandoned the profession to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II.
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In 1945, after World War II had ended, Golding went back to teaching and writing.
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In 1954, after 21 rejections, Golding published his first and most acclaimed novel, Lord of the Flies.
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In 1963, the year after Golding retired from teaching, Peter Brook made a film adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel.
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At the age of 73, Golding was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize for Literature.
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In 1988 he was knighted by England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
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In 1990 a new film version of the Lord of the Flies was released, bringing the book to the attention of a new generation of readers.
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On June 19, 1993, Golding died of a heart attack in Perranarworthal, Cornwall. After Golding died, his completed manuscript for The Double Tongue was published posthumously.