Literature Spotlights

Ralph Ellison

An American novelist born in Oklahoma City, OK March 1, 1913. Ellison is known for his National Book Award-winning novel "Invisible Man" published in 1952. The novel explored themes of race and identity from the perspective of an African American male. Ellison attended the Tuskegee Institute without earning a degree and later moved to New York to pursue a career in the Arts. After publishing the Invisible Man Ellison would go on to teach at several prestigious Universities including NYU. Throughout his life he continued to write, publishing "Shadow Acts" a book of essays in 1964.