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The classic story by William Golding, published in 1964, of one man’s obsession that endangers an entire community.

Dean Jocelin had a vision, and believes he has been chosen by God to add an enormous spire, his ‘spire of prayer’, to his cathedral. But the cathedral has no foundations.

Episode 1
Work begins on the construction of Dean Jocelin’s spire, but not everyone at the cathedral shares his vision.

Born in 1911, William Golding was the writer of 13 novels. These include Lord of the Flies, The Inheritors, Pincher Martin and The Spire. Rites of Passage - the first novel in his sea-trilogy To The Ends Of The Earth - won the Booker Prize in 1980. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983.

Writer: William Golding
Reader: John Heffernan
Additional voices by Lucy Davidson
Producer: Jeremy Osborne
A Sweet Talk production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4

With thanks to Judy Carver at William Golding Ltd