威廉·戈爾丁（William Golding，1911～1994）英國小說傢。生於英格蘭康沃爾郡一個知識分子傢庭，自小愛好文學。1930年遵父命入牛津大學學習自然科學，兩年後轉攻文學。1934年發錶瞭處女作——一本包括29首小詩的詩集（麥剋米倫當代詩叢之一）。1935年畢業於牛津大學，獲文學士學位，此後在一傢小劇團裏當過編導和演員。 194o年參加皇傢海軍，親身投入瞭當時的戰爭。 1945年退役，到學校教授英國文學，並堅持業餘寫作。1954年發錶瞭長篇小說《蠅王》，獲得巨大的聲譽。1955年成為皇傢文學會成員。1961年獲牛津大學文學碩士學位，同年辭去教職，專門從事寫作。

戈爾丁是個多産作傢，繼《蠅王》之後，他發錶的長篇小說有《繼承者》（1955）、《品徹·馬丁）（1956）、《自由墮落》（1959）、《塔尖》（1964）、《金字塔》（1967）、《看得見的黑暗》（1979）、《航程祭典》（1980）、《紙人》（1984）、《近方位）（1987）、《巧語》（1995）等。其中《航行祭典》獲布剋·麥剋內爾圖書奬。此外，他還寫過劇本、散文和短篇小說，並於1982 年齣版瞭文學評論集《活動的靶子》。

戈爾丁在西方被稱為“寓言編撰傢”，他運用現實主義的敘述方法編寫寓言神話，承襲西方倫理學的傳統，著力錶現“人心的黑暗”這一主題，錶現齣作傢對人類未來的關切。由於他的小說“具有清晰的現實主義敘述技巧以及虛構故事的多樣性與普遍性，闡述瞭今日世界人類的狀況”，1983年獲諾貝爾文學奬。

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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