Who Wrote Lord of the Flies, and When Was It Published?
William Golding, a British writer, wrote Lord of the Flies. It was published by Faber and Faber on 17 September 1954 and was his first novel.
The book has 12 chapters, and most editions run between about 215 and 250 pages.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | William Golding (1911-1993) |
| First published | 17 September 1954, Faber and Faber (UK) |
| US edition | Coward-McCann, 1955 |
| Original title | Strangers from Within |
| Length | 12 chapters; about 224 pages |
| Films | 1963 (Peter Brook), 1990 (Harry Hook) |
Who was William Golding?
William Golding was born on 19 September 1911 in Newquay, Cornwall, and died on 19 June 1993. Lord of the Flies was his first published novel. He went on to win the Booker Prize in 1980 for Rites of Passage, and the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1983.
↑ Back to the topWhen was Lord of the Flies published?
Faber and Faber published the novel in London on 17 September 1954. The American edition, from Coward-McCann, followed in 1955. Golding had been sending the typescript to publishers since the start of 1953, under its original title, Strangers from Within.
↑ Back to the topWhy was Lord of the Flies rejected so often?
Publishers turned the book down repeatedly. One account counts 21 rejections. A reader at Faber and Faber also rejected it at first, calling it rubbish and dull. Charles Monteith, a new editor at the firm, took it up. He asked Golding to cut the opening section, which described an evacuation from a nuclear war, and the book became the novel readers know. The title changed too.
↑ Back to the topWhat inspired the book?
The idea began when Golding read The Coral Island, a Victorian adventure story about boys on a Pacific island, and found its picture of stranded children unrealistic. Fear of nuclear war after the Second World War also shaped his view of human nature.
↑ Back to the topHow long is Lord of the Flies?
The novel has 12 chapters. The number of pages depends on the edition: 224 is the figure usually cited, and other editions run from about 216 to 248 pages.
↑ Back to the topHas Lord of the Flies been filmed?
Yes. Peter Brook directed a British film in 1963, and Harry Hook directed an American one in 1990.
↑ Back to the topMore about Lord of the Flies
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.