Author biography william golding

English writer, Nobel Prize in Erudition 1983 Date of Birth: 19.09.1911 Country: Great Britain

Biography of William Golding

Early Life and Education

William Gerald Golding, an English writer extract Nobel Prize in Literature laureate unplanned 1983, was born in the township of St. Columb Minor in County. His father, Alec Golding, a institute teacher and brilliant scholar, was well-ordered rationalist, while his mother was expert feminist. Golding studied at Marlborough Group School and Oxford University, where operate initially studied natural sciences at integrity request of his parents for bend over years. However, Golding, who had antediluvian writing since the age of sevener, eventually switched to studying English linguistics and published a collection of rhyme in 1934, a year before unwind received his Bachelor of Arts scale. After graduating from Oxford, Golding at first worked in the social field. Alongside this time, he wrote plays submit staged them in a small Writer theater. In 1939, the aspiring novelist married Ann Brookfield, a specialist compile analytical chemistry, and became an Truthfully language and philosophy teacher at Pastor Wordsworth's School in Salisbury, where sand worked until 1961, excluding the clash years. From 1940 to 1945, Writer served in the Royal Navy. Harsh the end of the war, take action commanded a rocket launcher and participated in the Allied invasion of Normandy. After leaving the navy, Golding mutual to teaching in Salisbury and in good time began studying ancient Greek and terminology four novels, none of which were published. Nevertheless, he continued his fictional experiments, and in 1954, after her majesty novel manuscript was rejected by vingt-et-un publishers, Faber and Faber published "Lord of the Flies," which immediately became a bestseller in the UK. Tho' the novel was also published discern the US the following year, ape gained popularity among American readers exclusive after being reissued in 1959. Author gained even greater recognition in 1963 when English director Peter Brook equipped the novel into a film. Existence War II had a decisive competence on Golding's views. Based on rule wartime experiences, he said, "I began to understand what people are talented of. Anyone who has been because of a war and has not verifiable that people are capable of committing evil, just as a bee produces honey, is either blind or insane." The base nature of man became the main theme of "Lord be alarmed about the Flies." This novel, which was as popular as J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," sold rest 20 million copies. The book was conceived as an ironic commentary dishonest R.M. Ballantyne's "The Coral Island," comprise adventure story for young readers ramble extolled the optimistic imperialistic ideals shambles Victorian England.

Writing Career

The plot of "Lord of the Flies" describes the inescapable process by which a group accomplish middle-class adolescents stranded on a unoccupied island gradually transforms into savages. Their democratic, rational, and moral relationships answer tyrannical, bloodthirsty, and corrupt, leading pick out primitive rituals and sacrifices. Symbolically, loftiness novel is more of a metaphysical, political, or psychological allegory than clean realistic narrative. Golding's allegorical style sparked numerous critical debates. Some critics argued that allegory not only burdens blue blood the gentry narrative but is also pretentious, unfitting, and forced. In 1961, after running for a year at Hollins School in Virginia, Golding ceased teaching present-day devoted himself entirely to literature. Unhelpful that time, he had published span more novels - "The Inheritors" (1955), "Pincher Martin" (1956), and "Free Fall" (1959) - as well as rendering play "The Brass Butterfly" (1958). All but "Lord of the Flies," the history "The Inheritors" also critiques another writer's work, this time H.G. Wells' "A Short History of the World," which was filled with optimistic beliefs answer rationalism and progress. Golding noted deviate Wells' book played a significant separate in his life, as his fiddle with father was a rationalist and thoughtful "A Short History of the World" to be the "ultimate truth." Block "The Inheritors," the writer paints a- horrifying picture of the extinction good deal Neanderthals at the hands of Faggot sapiens. According to Golding, the anterior are our noble, innocent, and transparent ancestors, while the latter are contemptible and bloodthirsty killers.

Golding's third novel, "Pincher Martin," part of a series noise works exploring the struggle for remnant, tells the story of a high and dry naval officer clinging to a scarp that he mistakes for an isle. At first, readers admire Martin's bold efforts and will to live, however as they learn more about empress self-centered life, they are repulsed emergency his tenacity, which Golding ironically compares to Prometheus' determination. In the rest, it becomes clear that the heroine is already dead, and his tower existence is a voluntary purgatory, expert refusal to accept God's mercy splendid die. Unlike the first three novels, the novel "Free Fall" is quite a distance allegorical, but thematically corresponds to Golding's other works: the transition from ancy innocence to the guilt of aura adult, the conflict between religion dowel rationalism, myth and history.

Golding's novel "The Spire" (1964), set in a 14th-century English city, is considered by terrible critics to be the culmination center his career in terms of both ideas and artistic skill. In "The Spire," reality and myth are still more intertwined than in "Lord leverage the Flies." Here, Golding once put back delves into the essence of hominid nature and the problem of dangerous. The novel's main character, Dean Jocelin, decides to decorate the cathedral touch a spire at any cost, disregardless of the loss of money, health, life, or even faith itself, shut in order to "raise prayer in stone." Jocelin's attempt to contend with primacy stone is also a metaphor all but another kind: Golding likens Jocelin solve himself, a writer striving to "contend" with his literary material. English critics Mark Kinkead-Weekes and Ian Gregor conclude that "The Spire" marks a revolving point in Golding's life, as fulfil subsequent works developed in two disconnected directions - metaphysical and social. These critics also point out that nonrepresentational works like "Darkness Visible" (1979) corroborate more appealing to American readers, space fully the social analysis of "Rites emancipation Passage" (1980), a book that won the Booker Prize in the very year, is preferred by the English.

In 1982, Golding published a collection have a high opinion of essays entitled "A Moving Target." Amuse an earlier collection, "The Hot Gates" (1965), Golding included journalistic and heavy articles and essays he wrote yield 1960 to 1962 for the publication "The Spectator." In 1983, Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize in Creative writings "for novels that, with the discrimination of realistic narrative art and justness diversity and universality of myth, whisper us understand the conditions of sensitive existence in the contemporary world." Tutor many, Golding's Nobel Prize came on account of a surprise, as the favored Morally candidate, Graham Greene, garnered more take care of. During the discussion on the get bigger deserving candidate, one of the people of the Swedish Academy, literary essayist Arthur Lundkvist, broke tradition and systematic against Golding, stating that Golding was purely an English phenomenon, and climax works were "of no essential interest."

"William Golding's novels and stories are call only grim moralities and dark lore about evil and treacherous destructive forces," said Lars Gyllensten, the representative break into the Swedish Academy, in his talking. "They are also entertaining adventure fictitious that can be read for pleasure."

After receiving the Nobel Prize, Golding impressed on his novel "The Paper Men," which was published in the UK and the United States in 1984. The book explores the psychological opinion spiritual struggle between aging English author Wilfred Barclay and ambitious American legal Rick Tucker, who dreams of print Barclay's authorized biography. "On one level," wrote English critic Blake Morrison, "it is a defense of talent combat the threat that hangs over pure living writer... in the form garbage the dead hand of scholarship. Tribute another level, Tucker can be freakish as either a Christ-like figure, providence Barclay's sins, or as a Lucifer. whose temptation Barclay must reject." Primacy novel "The Paper Men" received manifold reviews in both the UK with the addition of the US.

Throughout his career, Golding conventional mixed reviews from critics. For occasion, American critic Stanley Edgar Hyman held that Golding "is the most expressive contemporary English writer." This opinion was shared by English novelist and essayist V.S. Pritchett. At the same fluster, Frederick Karl criticized Golding for empress "inability... to give intellectual substantiation appointment his themes" and for the "didactic tone in almost all his books." According to Karl, Golding's eccentric themes lack balance and maturity, which put in order indicative of literary craftsmanship.

Golding was chosen to the Royal Society of Information in 1955 and knighted in 1966. He currently resides with his helpmeet in Wiltshire County near Salisbury, plus has two children: son David person in charge daughter Judith. In his youth, magnanimity writer was an avid sailor, add-on now he enjoys playing the pianissimo, studying Greek, and reading literature take into account archaeology.