A forgotten gem ignites the literary world’s imagination

A remarkable occurrence has been taking place in the literary world over the past year or so. A little-known novel by a practically forgotten writer has resurfaced, kick-starting a kind of frenzy.

When Stoner by John Williams was first released, in 1965, it grabbed a few pleasant reviews, sold something like 2,000 copies, and then quickly dropped off the map. With the benefit of hindsight, this slip into obscurity should not surprise. 1965 was a period of immense change in America, a time of action and confrontation, with the war in Vietnam and the civil rights situation both escalating and the pulse of the counter-culture beginning to race. The meditative nature of a book like Stoner — despite its resonant, if misrepresented title — must have seemed simply out of step.