威廉·戈尔丁（William Golding，1911～1994）英国小说家。生于英格兰康沃尔郡一个知识分子家庭，自小爱好文学。1930年遵父命入牛津大学学习自然科学，两年后转攻文学。1934年发表了处女作——一本包括29首小诗的诗集（麦克米伦当代诗丛之一）。1935年毕业于牛津大学，获文学士学位，此后在一家小剧团里当过编导和演员。 194o年参加皇家海军，亲身投入了当时的战争。 1945年退役，到学校教授英国文学，并坚持业余写作。1954年发表了长篇小说《蝇王》，获得巨大的声誉。1955年成为皇家文学会成员。1961年获牛津大学文学硕士学位，同年辞去教职，专门从事写作。

戈尔丁是个多产作家，继《蝇王》之后，他发表的长篇小说有《继承者》（1955）、《品彻·马丁）（1956）、《自由堕落》（1959）、《塔尖》（1964）、《金字塔》（1967）、《看得见的黑暗》（1979）、《航程祭典》（1980）、《纸人》（1984）、《近方位）（1987）、《巧语》（1995）等。其中《航行祭典》获布克·麦克内尔图书奖。此外，他还写过剧本、散文和短篇小说，并于1982 年出版了文学评论集《活动的靶子》。

戈尔丁在西方被称为“寓言编撰家”，他运用现实主义的叙述方法编写寓言神话，承袭西方伦理学的传统，着力表现“人心的黑暗”这一主题，表现出作家对人类未来的关切。由于他的小说“具有清晰的现实主义叙述技巧以及虚构故事的多样性与普遍性，阐述了今日世界人类的状况”，1983年获诺贝尔文学奖。

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Book Description

The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their society but the defects of their own natures.

Amazon.com

William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.

　　　　　　--Jennifer Hubert

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up?A solid tool for the study of William Golding's classic novel. Sixteen critical selections from both journals and books are arranged in chronological order by date of publication from 1961 to 1993. The examined topics, length and completeness of entries, and depth of analysis present a wide range of material. Articles selected by Bloom have not previously appeared in works easily accessible to most readers. There is little duplication with "Contemporary Literary Criticism" (Gale) or with "British Writers" (Scribners); both cover less ground. Clarice Swisher's Readings on Lord of the Flies (Greenhaven, 1997) includes two of the same critics, but Bloom's book has complete articles rather than excerpts. While some readers may struggle with these selections, the book is an excellent resource.

　　　Gail Richmond, San Diego Unified Schools, CA

From Booklist

A plane crashes on an uninhabited tropical island during wartime. A group of schoolboys--the sole survivors--form their own society, an experiment that quickly descends into chaos and death in Golding's classic allegory. Listening Library recently rereleased this historic 1976 recording, and the timing could not be more apt. As CNN keeps viewers on edge with the latest military overtures in the real world and the reality TV show "Survivor" offers escape in the form of backstabbing, bug-eating "tribal" rituals, LORD OF THE FLIES gives the reader a lucid and chillingly objective mirror to our modern society. William Golding's narration is as impartial as his work, yet his grumbly, grandfatherly voice, complete with mid-sentence sniffs and swallows, is intimate. Included on the tapes is background on how he came to conceive the book and a brief rebuttal to critics about its meaning. M.M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award

Book Dimension

length: (cm)18.4 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)10.8