Classics Challenge: William Golding

"The greatest ideas are the simplest." ~William Golding
For the month of July, we have another British author! William Golding was a self-proclaimed bully. At the age of twelve he attempted to write his first novel, but was unsuccessful. He took his frustrations out on other children. Golding is even quoted to say, regarding himself, "I enjoyed hurting people." 

Rather than study science in college like his father wanted, Golding opted for literature. He published his first book, a book of poetry, titled Poems (rather original, don't you think?) in 1934. Unfortunately, Poems didn't garner much interest.
Golding abandoned writing for a time, choosing to teach at a boy's school. It was here, teaching unruly boys, that he would draw inspiration for his most acclaimed work, Lord of the Flies. In 1940, like many other men during his time, Golding left his post as teacher and enlisted to fight in World War II.
Soon after, Golding penned Lord of the Flies. After Lord of the Flies' success, Golding went on to publish numerous other works such as Rites of Passage, Free Fall, and The Pyramid. 
Golding even had the Nobel Prize for Literature to his credit!
He passed away from a heart attack in his home in 1993.
Writerly Things to Learn from William Golding:
1. Who we are in our childhood doesn't dictate our future. Though Golding was a self-proclaimed bully, he went on to do wonderful things with his life, including serving in WWII. Don't base your future on failures of the past. Learn and grow!
2. Everyone gets rejected at some point. Before Lord of the Flies was published, Golding fielded 21 rejections (which I think is a pretty big number for the time period. Hello, postage!). Don't give up on your own work. Who knows? Maybe one day it too will be a classic!