William Golding, an English novelist, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature .
in 1983 for his parables of the human condition. He attracted a cult of followers, .
especially among the youth of the post-World War II generation. The choice of the .
outstanding award was unexpected because the internationally famous novelist Graham .
Greene was considered the strongest candidate from the English writers. In many works, .
Golding has revealed the dark places of the human heart, when isolated individuals are .
pushed into extreme situations. His work is characterized by the discovery of the darkness .
of man's heart and the deep spiritual and moral questions humanity has to offer.
Sir William Golding was born in the small village of St. Columb Minor in .
Cornwall in the year 1911. His family was progressive and was the first source of .
influence for Golding's talent. William's father was a schoolmaster who had militant .
convictions in politics and strong faith in science. Golding started writing at the age of .
seven, but following the wishes of his parents, he studied physics and English literature at.
Marlboro and Oxford University of England. .
.
After his graduation in 1935, Golding became a settlement house worker, and .
wrote plays in London. In 1939, he moved to Salisbury, where he began teaching English .
at Bishop Wordsworth's School. During World War II, he commanded a rocket-launching .
craft during the invasion of France in 1944. His active service in the war included his .
involvement in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck and participating in the .
Normandy invasion. After the war, Golding resumed to teaching at Bishop Wordsworth's .
until 1961.
Golding's first published novel was Lord of the Flies, a gripping story of a group.
of British schoolboys stranded on a desert island that break into violence after they have.
lost all adult guidance. Lord of the Flies was originally turned down by twenty-one .