In the summer of 1988 William Golding was knighted by the Queen
at Buckingham Palace. He was particularly struck by two aspects of
the process. First, the lowlier the order the more the Queen talked
to you. Secondly, she knew in each case why the order was awarded.
After tapping him on the shoulder with the sword, she gave him his
order and ribbon, and then asked him as she shook his hand, 'And
are you still writing?' 'Oh yes, Marm', he replied, with dutiful
brevity. 'Oh good', she said, and with just the suspicion of a
slight push made him aware that he was 'done'.
Golding was very pleased to be knighted - it was the only honour
he was given that formally affected the status of his wife Ann, and
this gave him great satisfaction.
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 Through hundreds of letters, unpublished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