Sir William Gerald Golding was an eminent British novelist, playwright, and poet, acclaimed for his debut novel, Lord of the Flies (1954). He published twelve volumes of fiction in his lifetime. Among his many accolades, Golding was awarded the Booker Prize for Rites of Passage, the first novel in his sea trilogy, To the Ends of the Earth, and was honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983. In recognition of his contributions to literature, Golding was knighted in 1988 and was a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. The Times ranked him third on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" in 2008.

Childhood and College Years
Golding was born in Saint Columb Minor, Cornwall, England. His father, Alex, was a schoolmaster, and his mother, Mildred, was active in the Women's Suffrage Movement. From an early age, Golding wrote stories and attempted his first novel at the age of twelve. He pursued a literary education at Brasenose College, Oxford University, initially planning to study science but switching to English literature. His first work, a collection titled Poems, was published when he was twenty-two.

Military Service and Teaching
His teaching career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as a Lieutenant in the British Royal Navy. Golding's experiences in the military, commanding a rocket launching craft, profoundly influenced his writing.

Lord of the Flies and Other Works
Golding's frustration with his unpublished novels ended with Lord of the Flies. The novel was initially met with mixed reviews and modest sales, but its recognition soared as it became popular among students and was integrated into academic curricula. Golding's productive output included novels such as Pincher Martin, Free Fall, and The Pyramid. Following a period of reduced literary activity, Golding returned with Darkness Visible and faced criticism with The Paper Men. His non-fiction work A Moving Target contains essays, reviews, and lectures.

William Golding passed away in 1993, leaving a legacy as one of the most distinguished writers of the twentieth century. Posthumously, his manuscript The Double Tongue was published, adding to his prolific body of work.