Ellison, Ralph

Ellison, Ralph, 1914–94, African-American author, b. Oklahoma City, Okla.; studied Tuskegee Inst. (now Tuskegee Univ.). Originally a jazz musician, he moved (1936) to New York City, where he met Langston Hughes, who became his mentor, and became friends with Richard Wright, who radicalized his thinking. Ellison's earliest published writings were reviews and stories in the politically radical New Masses magazine. His literary reputation rests almost completely on one novel, Invisible Man (1952). A classic of American literature, it draws upon the author's experiences, detailing the harrowing progress of a nameless young black man struggling to live in a hostile society. Ellison also published two collections of essays, Shadow and Act (1964) and Going to the Territory (1986). His collected essays were published in 1995, and a volume of stories appeared in 1996. A second novel, sections of which appeared (1960–77) in magazines, was uncompleted at his death. Condensing the sprawling mass of text and notes written over four decades, his literary executor assembled the novel Juneteenth, which was published in 1999.

Bibliography

See R. G. O'Meally, ed., Living with Music: Ralph Ellison's Jazz Writings (2001); biography by L. Jackson (2002); studies by J. Hersey, ed. (1974), R. G. O'Meally (1980), A. Nadel (1988), and J. G. Watts (1995).

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Ellison, Ralph (Waldo)

(born March 1, 1914, Oklahoma City, Okla., U.S.—died April 16, 1994, New York, N.Y.) U.S. writer. Ellison studied music at Tuskegee Institute before joining the Federal Writers' Project. He won eminence for his novel Invisible Man (1952); narrated by a nameless young black man, it reflects bitterly on American race relations. It is regarded as among the most distinguished works of American fiction since World War II. He later published two essay collections, Shadow and Act (1964) and Going to the Territory (1986) and lectured and taught widely. In 1999 an edition of his unfinished second novel was published by his literary executor, John Callahan, with the title Juneteenth.

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Ellison, Ralph (Waldo) (1914–94) writer; born in Oklahoma City, Okla. He studied music at Tuskegee Institute before moving to New York City to study sculpture. A protégé of Richard Wright, whom he met in 1937, he wrote reviews, essays, and short stories. He spent seven years writing Invisible Man (1952, National Book Award), and although it was his only novel it gained him a place as a respected American writer and remains one of the central texts of the African-American experience. His other major work, Shadow and Act (1964), is a collection of his essays and interviews. After teaching at various universities, he became the Albert Schweitzer Professor in the Humanities at New York University (1970–79). He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969.