Stoner
by John Williams
Summary
William Stoner, the son of poor Missouri farmers, discovers a love of literature at university and spends the rest of his quiet, largely disappointed life as an undistinguished English professor, enduring a loveless marriage and academic obscurity with a stoicism the novel treats as its own kind of grace. Williams writes in plain, unadorned prose that makes Stoner's small private dignities feel enormous, refusing any dramatic reversal of his ordinary, difficult life. The novel sold poorly on release but has since become a cult classic, championed by generations of readers who discovered it word of mouth.
Historical Context & Significance
The 1965 National Book Award for fiction went to Saul Bellow's Herzog, and Williams's own novel Augustus later won the National Book Award in 1973, meaning the book many now consider his finest received no prize at all upon publication. Stoner remained largely forgotten for decades before a wave of European translations sparked its rediscovery.