William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies

In 1953, William Golding was a provincial schoolteacher writing books on his breaks, lunch hours and holidays. His work had been rejected by every major publisher—until an editor at Faber and Faber pulled his manuscript off the rejection pile. This was to become Lord of the Flies, a book that would sell in the millions and bring Golding worldwide recognition.

Golding went on to become one of the most popular and influential British authors to have emerged since World War II. He received the...