The most extraordinarily imagined of all Golding's works,
this is the anti-hero as hero; fighting a lone and hopeless battle
for survival as a castaway on a bare rock in the North Atlantic,
with ingenuity, courage and -- most terrible of all -- a growing
awareness of the real nature of the struggle he is engaged in. The
story contains some of Golding's most forceful writing: the
eye-opening practicalities of such a situation, the memories of a
bitter and ruthlessly selfish past, the complexities and
simplicities of being human, and above all the utter refusal to
accept defeat even at the hands of God - all are portrayed here
with an immediate and physical exactness that precludes
detachment.
John Carey's new biography of William Golding
Drawing almost entirely on materials that have never before been
made public, John Carey, the distinguished writer and critic, sheds
new light on Golding. Through hundreds of letters, unpublished
works and Golding's intimate journals, Carey draws a revelatory and
definitive portrait of an extraordinary man. In an absorbing and
compelling narrative, he reveals a many-sided figure: a war-hero, a
reclusive depressive who considered himself a 'monster', a family
man, a victim of fears and phobias who battled against alcoholism,
and a writer who trusted the imagination above all things.
Follow the link below to hear 'audio snippets' where Carey reads
from his highly praised new biography.
William Golding: The Man Who Wrote Lord of the Flies