I can't believe John Williams's Stoner lived in obscurity for 50 years

John Williams's 1965 novel Stoner is almost unbearably sad, a story about Bill Stoner, a man who has missed, it seems, every opportunity for happiness in his life - or so it seems from first third of the book. He is a shy, impoverished farm boy in Missouri at the state U, becomes an English grad student to bewilderment and sorrow of his parents; has only 2 friends - they both go off to serve in World War I, he decides to stay on and continue his studies - they say he will regret this. One friend dies in combat, the other, Finch, gets a cushy stateside post during which he earns a doctorate at Columbia Teachers. After the war they both teach at Missouri - Finch a rising star who goes around in his uniform, pal of the elderly dean, everyone who's been in universities knows the type; Stoner the classic grind - we learn nothing so far about his teaching but have the sense that he's very ordinary; publishes a book from his dissertation on the classical influence on the medieval lyric, and that tells you all you need to know about his scholarship. Most sorrowfully, he falls in love at first sight with a young society woman, courts her awkwardly, she's clearly not interested but then kind of flings herself on him, perhaps believing this is her only chance at marriage. Her parents are snobbish, cold St. Louis would-be society folks. The marriage is a disaster - they are both so awkward sexually and she is cold and uncommunicative and increasingly disturbed. They have a daughter, and Stoner takes on almost all responsibility of raising and caring for the child, as well as earning a pitiful living, teaching summer school and extra classes - all while his showboat friend prospers, of course (and, unlike Stoner, Finch can barely remember their mutual friend who died in combat). All of this told in stunningly beautiful prose with a great deal of insight into personality, behavior, and mental disorder - an incredibly powerful novel and I can't believe it lived in obscurity for 50 years.