Lord of the Flies Centenary Edition

William Golding

Nov 2011 · Penguin

About this ebook

The classic novel by William Golding
With a new Introduction by Stephen King

"To me Lord of the Flies has always represented what novels are for, what makes them indispensable." -Stephen King

Golding's classic, startling, and perennially bestselling portrait of human nature remains as provocative today as when it was first published. This beautiful new edition features French flaps and rough fronts, making it a must-have for fans of this seminal work.

William Golding's compelling story about a group of very ordinary small boys marooned on a coral island has become a modern classic. At first it seems as though it is all going to be great fun; but the fun before long becomes furious and life on the island turns into a nightmare of panic and death. As ordinary standards of behaviour collapse, the whole world the boys know collapses with them—the world of cricket and homework and adventure stories—and another world is revealed beneath, primitive and terrible.

Lord of the Flies remains as provocative today as when it was first published in 1954, igniting passionate debate with its startling, brutal portrait of human nature. Though critically acclaimed, it was largely ignored upon its initial publication. Yet soon it became a cult favorite among both students and literary critics who compared it to J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye in its influence on modern thought and literature.

Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies has established itself as a true classic.

 

Ratings and reviews

I was forced to read this book for school and it was not a great book. Really scary the way it described young children. Better than romeo and Juliet though

The book is full of symbols that give great meaning to the book. It expains how even children who are not fully civilized can easily be turned to savages. But this savagery comes from inside instead of influences. The book is a very complex and has lots of meaning, more than i can say.

People who gave this book a low were either too scared or didn't understand the true meaning to the story and for those trying to spoil it you guys are just giving false info except for the one about piggy.

About the author

Born in Cornwall, England, in 1911 and educated at Oxford University, William Gerald Golding's first book, Poems, was published in 1935. Following a stint in the Royal Navy and other diversions during and after World War II, Golding wrote Lord of the Flies while teaching school. This was the first of several novels including Pincher Martin, Free Fall, and The Inheritors and a play, The Brass Butterfly, which led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.
Stephen King, the world's bestselling novelist, was educated at the University of Maine at Orono. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, and their children in Bangor, Maine.