Lord of the Flies, the story of a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves, is considered to be one of the greatest works of literary history, taught to schoolchildren around the world.
But the novel by Sir William Golding didn’t always begin with the schoolboys crash-landing on the island. Instead, an original version of the manuscript, which was written in a school exercise book with the cover torn off, describes how they had been evacuated out, in the midst of a nuclear war, and their plane shot down in an aerial battle.
The alternative version of the dark societal tale will now go on display to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the book being published.
Golding’s manuscripts, notebooks and letters will also be shown in the exhibition at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Old Library, University of Exeter later this month.
The original manuscript will not be on public view, due to its fragility, the university said. Golding’s daughter, Judy Carver, said: “The Golding family are grateful to the University of Exeter for their care of the manuscripts and typescripts on loan to the university.
“They also welcome this opportunity for these materials to be viewed by a wider audience. They appreciate the careful work that has brought the exhibition contents to public view.”
Golding, who died in 1993 at his home in Cornwall, was a Nobel prize-winning author. But he had difficulties getting Lord of the Flies taken up by publishers.
It was spotted by a junior editor at publishers Faber and Faber after a string of rejections, and after some changes became an overnight sensation in 1954.
The exhibit will also contain letters to the editor who helped him make Lord of the Flies a success, along with correspondence from Golding on his other novels and works.
Caroline Walter, the interim head of heritage collections at the University of Exeter, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to unite archival material from two distinct collections in Exeter, allowing visitors to delve into the rich literary heritage of the south-west and illuminating Golding’s creative journey.”
Golding went on to write The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and Free Fall along with Rites of Passage, which won him the Booker Prize.
There were film adaptations of his first novel in 1963 and 1990, and a new version is to be shown on TV for the first time by the BBC.
Written by His Dark Materials screenwriter Jack Thorne, the drama is being filmed in Malaysia with a young cast and will remain faithful to the original story of savagery and dark human nature.
The exhibition will be on display from 24 September to 15 December.
Display panels featuring information about Golding’s papers will be on show across Exeter from 2 September to 31 October and there will be free public events in the city this autumn.