Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

Mar 2016 · Penguin UK

About this ebook

'One of the most important American novels of the twentieth century' The Times

'It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves'

Ralph Ellison's blistering and impassioned first novel tells the extraordinary story of a man invisible 'simply because people refuse to see me'. Published in 1952 when American society was in the cusp of immense change, the powerfully depicted adventures of Ellison's invisible man - from his expulsion from a Southern college to a terrifying Harlem race riot - go far beyond the story of one individual to give voice to the experience of an entire generation of black Americans.

This edition includes Ralph Ellison's introduction to the thirtieth anniversary edition of Invisible Man, a fascinating account of the novel's seven-year gestation.

With an Introduction by John F. Callahan

'Brilliant' Saul Bellow

Ratings and reviews

My favourite book of all time… I read this first over 30 years ago and it remains today the only book that makes me sweat reading it. This should be read by everyone… But don't read it going to bed as it will keep you up at night. This novel will change the way you think about life in general… an incredibly important book. Searing, incendiary and inconceivable from the first page… Cannot recommend this book enough… If you want a book that will change your outlook on what humanity and being alive entails, Invisible Man is the book to read… Absolutely beyond what writing and fiction is supposed to be about… Buy this book. It's incredible.

Invisible man

About the author

Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-94) was born in Oklahoma. In 1936 he went to New York, where he met the writers Langston Hughes and Richard Wright; shortly afterwards his stories and articles began to appear in magazines and journals. His debut novel, Invisible Man (1952), won the National Book Award and established Ellison as a major figure in twentieth-century fiction.