John Williams was an American writer known for his significant contributions to literature in the 20th century. Born on August 29, 1922, he had a profound impact on the literary world through his novels and poetry. His first novel, Nothing But the Night, was published in 1948, followed by a volume of poems titled The Broken Landscape in 1949.

Williams was notably involved in academia, as he took over the directorship of the creative writing program at the University of Denver in the fall of 1955, where he taught for more than 30 years. He retired in 1986 and spent his later years in Fayetteville, Arkansas, until his death in 1994.