Ralph ellison

Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man became a classic of American literature. While many critics recognized its quality when it came out in 1952, a Pulitzer Fiction juror went out of his way to trash the book.

After the colossal success of “Invisible Man,” Ralph Ellison struggled for 40 years to finish his second novel, “Juneteenth.”

“The act of writing requires a constant plunging back into the shadow of the past where time hovers ghostlike.” ~ Ralph Ellison, b. 1 March 1914

Ralph Ellison - Questions

Breaking with the dominant literary styles among Black writers at the time, the author expanded the limits of realism to create a world that was, and remains, all too familiar.

Who was Ralph Ellison? Why is he important in literature? What do we know about his life? Learn more about Ellison now.

Profiles of Resilience on Instagram: "Ralph Ellison, acclaimed for his novel "Invisible Man," which won the National Book Award in 1953, is celebrated as a literary giant who explored the nuanced complexities of African American identity and the quest for social justice. Ellison's work transcends the boundaries of race, illuminating the universal human condition through the lens of the African American experience. His profound insights into race, identity, and society challenge readers to…

Cartier-Bresson’s Faulkner, Philippe Halsman’s Nabokov, and other classic portraits of literary greats.

Before he became a writer, Ralph Ellison was an emerging photographer. Rarely-seen documentary images, gathered in a forthcoming book, reveal his lifelong engagement with the camera.