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Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison was an American novelist and essayist who first studied music and art before turning to literature. His 1952 novel Invisible Man received the National Book Award and became a central work of twentieth-century American literature.

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Years covered1952

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Cover of Invisible Man

Invisible Man

1952 · Historical Fiction

2 editions: Print · 1994 | Print · 1995

1 adaptation: Invisible Man · Stage · 2012

About this work & edition details

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this deeply compelling novel and epic milestone of American literature, a nameless narrator tells his story from the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. One of The Atlantic ’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years He describes growing up in a Black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood," before retreating amid violence and confusion. Originally published in 1952 as the first novel by a then unknown author, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land , James Joyce, and Dostoevsky.

Print · Random House Publishing Group · 1994-06-14 · English
ISBN 9780679601395

Print · Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · 1995-03-14 · English
ISBN 9780679732761

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Screen & Stage

Invisible Man

Oren Jacoby's authorized stage adaptation of Ralph Ellison's novel.

Stage · 2012 · Released

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