POSTWAR WRITING
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
(1952), ERNEST HEMINGWAYWritten during Hemingway’s stay
in Cuba in 1951, The Old Man and
the Sea was the last piece of fiction
to be published during the author’s
lifetime. The story is as simple as
the writing style, depicting the
struggle of old fisherman Santiago
with a marlin off the coasts of Cuba
and Florida. Nevertheless, the work
is deeply emotional and powerful,
as both the Pulitzer and Nobel
commissions acknowledged in
their awards to Hemingway.
Multiple interpretations of the book
have been suggested, such as that it
is a reflection on the author’s career,
that it has an allegorical religious
significance, or that it is a personal
story based on people Hemingway
encountered during his life.FAHRENHEIT 451
(1953), RAY BRADBURYOne of the most famous novels by
the American writer of speculative
fiction Ray Bradbury (1920–2012),
Fahrenheit 451 is a key exampleof dystopian fiction. In a world in
which knowledge and books are
banned, Guy Montag, a fireman
(in Fahrenheit 451, a fireman is a
person who is in charge of setting
fire to books) slowly rediscovers his
own humanity and individuality.
The story highlights the conflict
between mindlessly following
orders and questioning established
power structures, and the role that
books and knowledge can play in
that ongoing struggle.LORD OF THE FLIES
(1954), WILLIAM GOLDINGDespite its initial lack of success,
Lord of the Flies has since become
a classic and fundamental text of
dystopian, allegorical, political, and
satirical writing. The story begins
with a group of boys stranded on
an otherwise unpopulated island,
and follows their unsuccessful,
violent, and ultimately savage
attempts to impose different types
of self-government and order on
the group. The story takes place
in the shadow of a rotting pig’s
skull surrounded by insects—the
eponymous Lord of the Flies of
the title. Although Golding’s first
novel has often been challenged
for its controversial exploration of
human nature, utilitarian themes,
and violence, it is nevertheless a
fascinating insight into political,
psychological, and philosophical
thought of its time.THE LORD OF THE RINGS
(1954–1955), J. R. R. TOLKIENEnglish writer and academic Tolkien
(1892–1973) helped to redevelop the
fantasy genre with the three-volume
sequel to his children’s book TheHobbit (1937). Taking inspiration
from events in the world wars, his
childhood in South Africa, and his
studies in Icelandic and Germanic
literatures, he developed the epic
tale of The Lord of the Rings. The
story follows multiple characters as
they journey through The Fellowship
of the Ring, The Two Towers, and
The Return of the King, in a life-or-
death quest to end the spread of
evil forces across Middle-earth.PEDRO PÁRAMO
(1955), JUAN RULFOInfluencing writers such as Gabriel
García Márquez and José Saramago,
Pedro Páramo by Mexican author287
William Golding
Golding was born near the
British town of Newquay,
Cornwall, in September 1911.
He grew up in a political
household in Wiltshire: his
father, Alec, was a science
teacher, a socialist, and a
rationalist, while his mother,
Mildred Curnoe, was a female
suffrage activist. Golding
studied natural sciences, then
English literature at Oxford.
He served in the Royal Navy
during World War II, and
published his first work of
fiction, Lord of the Flies, in- He kept writing until
his death in 1993, and was
awarded both the Booker
and Nobel prizes.
Key works1954 Lord of the Flies (see left)
1955 The Inheritors
1980, 1987, 1989 To the Ends
of the Earth: A Sea TrilogyA book is a loaded gun
in the house next door ...
Who knows who might
be the target of the
well-read man?
Fahrenheit 451
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