John E. Williams's literary reputation rests largely on his treatment of the tension between public duty and private desire as depicted in Stoner (1965) and Augustus (1972). A polished but rarely flamboyant craftsman, Williams dwells, as he put it in Stoner, on "legends that grew more detailed and elaborate year by year, progressing like myth from personal fact to ritual truth." These legends as often concern little individuals such as William Stoner as they do world rulers; in either case the resulting "truth" is the same: that man can construct only momentary stays against chaos. Since Augustus shared the National Book Award for fiction in 1973, Williams's vision has begun to attract attention outside the Rocky Mountain region where he has worked throughout his career.

Born in Clarksville, Texas, John Edward Williams began his lengthy association with the University of Denver following what he has called his "somewhat reluctant" service in...