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Childhood
William Golding was born in Cornwall England. His mother was a suffragette who fought for women’s rights and his father was a school teacher and an advocate of rationalism. When he was 12 years old, he tried to write a novel. When he was unsuccessful, he turned to bullying to release his frustration. -
Teaching
William Golding worked as a producer, writer, and actor at a theater in London. After a few years, he began teaching English and philosophy at a boys school in Salisbury. His experience working with the young boys was inspiration for Lord of the Flies. -
World War II
William Golding temporarily left his teaching job to join the Royal Navy and fight in World War II. During his time in the war, he saw the horrible things that people did to each other, and his experiences helped him to write Lord of the Flies. -
Lord of the Flies
William Golding published the novel "Lord of the Flies". He was rejected by publishers 21 times, but the book wound up being an iconic piece of literature, and is studied in classrooms around the world. -
Nobel Prize
"Lord of the Flies" and other books that William Golding wrote received recognition when William Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for his work. -
Death
During the last years of his life, William Golding lived in Falmouth, Cornwall and continued to write. He died of a heart attack at the age of 81.
