Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

Sep 2010 · Sold by Vintage

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

one of the greatest books ever written. it's a very dark tale and has very few moments of joy for the main character but to see the world through his eyes and experience the world through his point of view was very eye opening for me as a young man. perhaps too on the nose for some people but if you can handle the dark subject matter and the bleakness of the events that happen to the main character i would highly recommend reading this book.

A book of monumental importance to the literary community. One that cannot be ignored. Written by one of the greatest African American writers ever,

This book may have the longest introduction that I have ever seen, but beside that, it is a very good book.

About the author

RALPH ELLISON was born in Okalahoma and trained as a musician at Tuskegee Institute from 1933 to 1936, at which time a visit to New York and a meeting with Richard Wright led to his first attempts at fiction. Invisible Man won the National Book Award and the Russwurm Award. Appointed to the Academy of American Arts and Letters in 1964, Ellison taught at many colleges including Bard College, the University of Chicago, and New York University where he was Albert Schweitzer Professor of Humanities from 1970 through 1980. Ralph Ellison died in 1994.