News |

Golding’s chess letters at the Exeter archive

By: Nicola Presley

The University of Exeter has recently acquired correspondence between William Golding and Anthony Curtis, former Literary Editor of the Telegraph to add to its already impressive Golding archive.

The Telegraph reports that these letters detail a variety of chess games played by post between the two men, spanning 1980 and 1993. Golding was a frequent chess player and experimented with a range of games, including the use of the Chess Challenger, a cutting-edge chess computer (in 1979!). Chess also features in a variety of his books, including Lord of the Flies and Darkness Visible.

Exeter’s Golding archive includes a wealth of material relating to Golding’s writing and his life, from the very first manuscript of Lord of the Flies, to an early version of Close Quarters.

Related News & Features

View all articles
News |
John Carey 1934–2025

We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Professor John Carey. Carey won the James Tait Black Prize for his wonderful biography of...