John Williams (1) (1922–1994)

Childhood trauma, especially when rooted in the family, creates a vortex, ever-present, pulling at the individual with relentless force. Every failure in the present amplifies its gravity. It is the experience of being thrown into the world, subjected to forces beyond one’s control or comprehension. The emotional torment inherited from the birth-givers is not chosen, it is passed down like a curse.

In that haunted past, all things good and all things evil coexist. And the individual show more straddles two worlds: one leg in a reality that feels unreal, weightless; the other anchored in the past, where he truly exists. The protagonist is one such man. He does not resist the pull. There is no fight. His existence lacks forward motion, lacks defined purpose. He does not articulate his entrapment, nor does he attempt escape. He is suspended in it.

There are brief glitches that jolt him into the present, but they are fleeting. Each time, he sinks back, deeper into himself.

It carries the same characteristic bleakness as Stoner, that slow and sorrowful drift through life but here, the suspension is coloured differently: not Stoner’s dark reds, deep blues, and worn browns, but a lifeless grey-black. Only the women in the novel seem to possess color, but that dissipates soon as well. show less

I'd like to read this book from the perspective of Stoner's wife, Edith. I found that Williams' portrayal of Edith dismisses her character's depth, depicting her as the 'crazy woman' without taking thoughtful effort to confront her described trauma as what it was: trauma. For instance, I feel quite confident that her childhood neglect and experience of spousal rape early in her marriage made her feel - among many things - unsafe in her home, no doubt influencing her relationship with her show more quiet, sexually violent husband and later her own daughter. Williams merely passes off her depression as crazy, her fear and anger as hysterical, and her manipulation to remove her daughter from Stoner's life as evil. show less

After the murder of Julius Caesar (his great uncle) the 19yr old Gaius Octavius fights 5 civil wars to become Augustus Caesar, the first Roman Emperor, the man who would be king.
There is a moment about halfway through Augustus where the emperor is walking through the streets of Rome on his way to the Senate. Crowds have gathered to cheer him on. A free slave who had been Octavius’s foster nurse is in the crowd, and she calls his name. He warmly greets her and they exchange some words. He show more tells her;
“I must council – I must order the Senate to take from me that which I have loved most in this life….
I have given to Rome a freedom that only I cannot enjoy.”
That is essentially what lies at the heart of Augustus by John Williams, the recontextualisation of the life of his beloved daughter, Julia, his ‘little Rome’, who he banishes to a remote island for the crime of adultery. Julia is the tragic hero of the book, and her story, as Williams tells it, is fascinating.
In his introduction to the book, John McGahern describes it as a ‘brilliant play of lights’. I cannot think of a better description of Augustus than that. In structure, in form and with a brilliant use of language, it’s John Williams’ gift to the world of literature. I really liked Stoner, loved Butcher’s Crossing, but Augustus is the work of a literary genius.
I loved the way the author could conjure up so many different, unique voices. Writing an epistolary novel was risky, but was executed perfectly. For example:
VIII. Letter: Gaius Cilnius |Maecenas to Titus Livius (12BC)
“And it seems to me that moralist is the most useless and contemptible of creatures. He is useless in that he would expend his energies upon making judgements rather than upon gaining knowledge, for the reason that judgement is easy and knowledge is difficult.”
or
III. Letter: Lucius Varius Rufus to Publius Vergilius Maro from Rome (39BC)
“It was only then that the gods gave him their golden lyre, and bade him play not as they but as he wished. The gods are wise in their cruelty; for now he sings, who would not have sung before.”

I could go on, in truth I’ve never read a book so quotable. I underlined most of it. As a reader it was perfection, because I lived a life, I learnt more from this one book that I have the previous 100 or so, and I shared the experience with three wonderful friends (thanks Mark, Debi & Lisa). Please read their fabulous reviews.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7163289960 Mark
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7070546612 Debi
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7095717741 Lisa
This may well define my year. I started off with very little knowledge of ancient Rome, now it has become an obsession. We are only half way through January and I declare that this will be the best book I’ll read all year. Or will it? That’s the kind of challenge we like as readers, isn’t it? show less

Williams, who taught university English, did not think a novel (or a poem) was “something to be studied and understood rather than experienced.” He was asked, “And literature is written to be entertaining?” and he answered “Absolutely. My God, to read without joy is stupid.”

At some point in the book I realized that I loved Stoner – loved him as a person. I had similar feelings for Renée and Paloma when I read The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Coming to love characters in a novel show more isn’t necessarily what I look for (and doesn’t happen often), nor is it required in order for me to say it is a wonderful book. But when it does happen, then I do think it is a wonderful book.

Stoner is a wonderful book, not only because of my feelings for its protagonist, but also because of its beautiful prose and because the university setting where it takes place was somewhat familiar to me and thus raised all kinds of images of the past and what might have been in my own life.

I used to belong to an online book group where, had I said that I loved this book because I loved the main character, I would have been ridiculed. In fact, I did say such things in that group, and I was ridiculed. I finally quit the group and eventually realized that not only do I not care to be ridiculed, I also don’t care to participate in studies and analyses of novels. I like to know when someone likes or doesn’t like a book, and I like to know something about why.

I dont' often give a "5." I think Stoner is a beautiful book. It is described in the introduction as “an escape into reality” and that reality is beautifully presented and works for me. show less