Ralph Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was an African-American writer, literary critic, and scholar best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953.
He moved to New York City in 1936 to pursue a career in writing and quickly became involved in the cultural and political life of the city.
While in New York, Ellison joined the Federal Writers' Project, a government program that employed writers to document the lives of Americans during the Great Depression.
He encountered several artists who would significantly influence his life, including artist Romare Bearden and author Richard Wright. After Ellison wrote a book review for Wright, Wright urged him to take up fiction writing as a career. Ellison's first published story was "Hymie's Bull," a tale inspired by his 1933 experience of hoboing on a train with his uncle to reach Tuskegee.
Ellison's best-known work, "Invisible Man," was published in 1952. The novel was awarded the 1953 US National Book Award for Fiction. He received two President's Medals, and a State Medal from France.
Ellison received 12 honorary doctorate degrees from Tuskegee Institute, Rutgers University, the University of Michigan, and Harvard University.
On February 18, 2014, the USPS unveiled a 91¢ stamp in tribute to Ralph Ellison.
Riverside Park on 150th Street and Riverside Drive in Harlem (near 730 Riverside Drive, Ellison's principal residence from the early 1950s until his passing) was dedicated to Ellison on May 1, 2003.
In the park stands a 15 by 8-foot bronze slab with a "cut-out man figure" inspired by his book Invisible Man.
The monument was created by artist Elizabeth Catlett, a former resident of 409 Edgecombe Avenue, Harlem NY.
For more info, visit our website: @edgecombeavenue
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