Lord Of the flies

Birth and Early Childhood .

Sep 19, 1911

William Golding, was born in Newquay, Cornwall, England, into a middle-class family. His father, Alec, was a schoolmaster and a staunch rationalist, while his mother, Mildred, was an active suffragette. Golding grew up in an environment that valued reason over emotion, which later influenced his writing

Early Career in Theater and Social Work

1916

📅 1935 - 1939
📍 London, England
📝 After graduating, Golding worked in theater as a writer, actor, and producer while also taking a job as a social worker to pay the bills. He cited Greek tragedies and Shakespeare as his strongest literary influences, which shaped his storytelling.

Early Interest in Literature

1918

📍 Cornwall, England
📝 Golding developed a passion for literature at an early age. By seven, he was reading Tennyson, and by twelve, he attempted to write his first novel. However, his rationalist father discouraged him from pursuing the arts.

Studies at Oxford University 1930 - 1935

1932

📍 Brasenose College, Oxford
📝 Following his father’s wishes, Golding initially studied natural sciences at Oxford. However, he switched to English literature in his third year, following his passion for writing. While at Oxford, he published his first collection of poetry in 1934 as part of Macmillan’s Contemporary Poets series.

Publication of Poems

1934

📍 Oxford, England
📝 While still a student, Golding published Poems, a collection of his early works, as part of Macmillan’s Contemporary Poets series. Later, he dismissed the book as immature.

Marriage to Ann Brookfield

1939

📝 Golding married Ann Brookfield, a chemist, and the couple had two children, David and Judith. His family life provided stability as he pursued his teaching and writing career.

His Service in World War II

1940

📅 1940 - 1945
📍 Royal Navy, Europe
📝 Golding joined the Royal Navy, where he commanded a rocket-launching craft. He participated in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck and the D-Day landings in Normandy. His wartime experiences profoundly influenced his views on human nature and violence.

Teaching Career at Bishop Wordsworth’s School

1940

📅 1939 - 1961
📍 Salisbury, England
📝 Golding began teaching English and philosophy at Bishop Wordsworth’s School, where he gained firsthand experience with schoolboys, later influencing Lord of the Flies. He remained a teacher, except for the years he served in World War II.

Publication of Lord of the Flies

1954

📍 United Kingdom
📝 Golding’s Lord of the Flies was published after 21 rejections. The novel explores the duality of civilization and savagery, using stranded schoolboys on an island as a metaphor for human nature. The book became a bestseller and is considered a literary classic.

Later Literary Works & Success

1954

📅 1955 - 1980
📍 United Kingdom
📝 Golding continued writing, publishing novels such as The Inheritors (1955), Pincher Martin (1956), The Spire (1964), and Darkness Visible (1979). His writing often explored themes of evil, civilization, and human nature. In 1980, he won the Booker Prize for Rites of Passage, the first in his To the Ends of the Earth trilogy.

First Film Adaptation of Lord of the Flies

1960

📍 United Kingdom
📝 Director Peter Brook released a black-and-white film adaptation of Lord of the Flies, further solidifying the book’s impact.

Becomes a Full-Time Writer

1961

📍 England
📝 After the success of Lord of the Flies, Golding left his teaching job to focus entirely on writing.

To the Ends of the Earth Trilogy

1981

📅1980-1989
📍 United Kingdom
📝 Golding wrote a historical fiction trilogy—Rites of Passage (1980), Close Quarters (1987), and Fire Down Below (1989)—set on a British naval voyage in the early 19th century. The first book won the Booker Prize.

Golding’s Lectures and Speeches

1981

📍 Various Locations
📝 During the 1980s, Golding gave several lectures on literature and human nature, reinforcing his ideas on the darkness within humanity. His public appearances showcased his philosophical outlook.

Winning the Nobel Prize in Literature

1983

📍 Stockholm, Sweden
📝 Golding received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his deep exploration of the human condition, morality, and civilization. His work challenged the idea that reason and civilization could completely suppress humanity’s darker instincts.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II

1987

📍 United Kingdom
📝 In recognition of his literary contributions, Golding was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Second Film Adaptation of Lord of the Flies

1990

📍 United States
📝 A modernized film adaptation of Lord of the Flies was released, bringing the story to a new generation of audiences.

Death of William Golding

Jun 19, 1992

📍 Perranarworthal, Cornwall, England
📝 Golding passed away at age 81 from heart failure. His legacy as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century remains strong, with Lord of the Flies still widely studied today.