William Golding Facts: Learn About The Absolutely Amazing Author

William Golding is a Nobel Prize-winning author from England who has written several poems, novels, drama, and even non-fiction books.

William Golding is one of the most popular British writers of the past century. It is his unique ideas and his signature writing style that led him to be ranked third among the '50 greatest British writers since 1945' by 'The Times' in the year 2008.

A B.A. graduate from Brasenose College, Oxford, William Golding is one of the few authors who relied on allegory to create an impact on writers.

His writing was straightforward, and he chose themes that most people could easily relate to. A British writer, knighted in 1988 and awarded the 'Nobel Prize for Literature' in 1983, achieved great heights in the world of literature.

His literary career, on its own, is a tremendous inspiration for contemporary writers and literature lovers. Read on to learn more about William Golding’s life and works.

Once you have read these facts about Willian Golding, do check out other articles to learn some Andrew Jackson facts and Charles Babbage facts here at Kidadl.

Childhood And College Years

William Golding’s first novel, 'Lord of the Flies' follows a group of children stranded on a beach. Most of the themes in his works come from his grandparents’ place in Cornwall.

William Gerald Golding was born in the Newquay region of Cornwall on September 19, 1911, in his grandmother’s house called 'Karenza'. This was a special place in his life, especially since he sailed through the World War I days, nestled up in this house, watching the grave scenes from his window.

In his early days, Golding lived with his parents and elder brother, Joseph Golding, at Marlborough, where his father, Alec Golding, was a teacher. The eerie theme of his novel 'Pincher Martin' is one of the main reasons that it is so popular in the world of English literature.

This was mainly inspired by the location of Golding’s home in Marlborough, England, behind a graveyard.

He was so terrified at the sight of the tombstones in that graveyard that he grew to be terrified of his house’s cellar. Some of his fears are the reason behind the scenes set in 'Pincher Martin'.

Golding was an exemplary student at his secondary school. He studied at the same school where his father taught, Marlborough Grammar School.

Before he transferred to the English stream, Golding studied Natural Sciences at his college, Brasenose College, Oxford. By 1938, he became a schoolmaster at Maidstone Grammar School, and later, he started working at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury.

Lord Of The Flies

A few years after working as a schoolmaster, he started working on the first book, which he initially called 'Strangers from Within'. The first novel by Golding, 'Lord of the Flies' has carved a niche for itself in the world of literature.

It starts like a normal story, with two children finding themselves on a deserted shore during World War III.

These boys gather the other plane crash survivors, who were kids themselves, and go on to set some rules in order to work like a civilized bunch of people.

Tension builds up slowly in this novel, and there is a gripping climax that is undeniably the best part of the novel. It is the realism and the depth of analysis of human personality in this novel that make it so unique.

Golding has managed to capture the many dimensions of human nature, including its dark side, mainly due to his experience during World War II. The original manuscript of this novel dates back to 1952, and he had written it all in Bishop Wordsworth’s school notebook.

Two years and plenty of rejections later, this was published in the year 1954 in London.

The 1963 movie 'Lord of the Flies' by Peter Brook was based on this novel.

Besides this book, he has also written several novels, short stories, poems, as well as short novels based on stories set in seaside towns and more. His service in the navy during World War II also further strengthened the themes of death and humanity’s dark side.

The Nobel Prize

William Golding received the 'Nobel Prize in Literature' in the year 1983. This was awarded to him for his unique literary style in every novel and his in-depth coverage of the seamless transition between myths and reality, as well as human nature.

This schoolmaster from Cornwall received mixed responses for having won the Nobel Prize. According to the Oxford Dictionary of the National Library, Golding was a 'contentious choice' for the Nobel Prize.

If you would like to learn more about his Nobel Prize journey, his book 'A Moving Target'with the assortment of essays and lectures by Golding, would be a great read. Along with the essays, even his lecture at the award ceremony was included in future publications.

Marriage And Family

Besides his works in English literature, Golding is also known to have served in the Royal Navy during World War II. The Normandy invasion was during this time that he served in the Royal Navy.

William Golding married Ann Brookfield, an analytic chemist. He was happily married to her till death parted them. The beautiful couple had two wonderful children, David, who was born in September 1940, and Judith who was born in July 1945.

During his last days, he moved back to his hometown of Cornwall with his wife.

Death And Legacy

After he and his wife moved back to his hometown, they lived there for nearly eight years. In 1993, at the age of 81, Golding died of heart failure.

Not every novel by Golding was published. There were a few that never hit the bookshelves, and a popular one among them was the novel 'Circle Under the Sea' which is about the adventures of a writer who sets out on an expedition looking for archaeological treasures.

Another was 'Seahorse' which documents his personal experience of exploring England’s south coast regions. Growing up in a house behind a graveyard and witnessing the several faces of war, Golding was always intrigued by death.

This was the reason behind his liking of ancient Egypt.

This can be seen in his short novel trilogy, 'The Scorpion God'. His sea trilogy has always had a special place in English literature.

The first among them was 'Rites of Passage' and this earned him the 'Booker Prize'. Sir William Golding was knighted in 1988 and went on to earn several other awards and accolades for his diverse work.

The 13 novels, many essays, besides 'A Moving Target' collection, short novel works, and poems by this British writer will forever keep his fame alive in the world of literature.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for William Golding facts, then why not take a look at Bryson Tiller facts or Bill Pickett facts?