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Ralph Ellison
Ralph Waldo Ellison was an African-American writer, teacher, and scholar who gained his fame by his successful novel, Invisible Man. Ellison considered literature "colorblind" and attempted to use racial issues as universal struggles in discovering oneself. Because of this, he was sometimes rejected by artists during the Black Art movement.
Despite being born on March 1, 1913, Ellison later decided to say he was born in 1914. He was born in Oklahoma City to parents Lewis and Ida Ellison and was named after the famous American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. Lewis Ellison had hopes that his son would grow up to become a poet. Sadly, Lewis would never see his son's success because he died when Ralph was only three. Ralph had one brother, Herbert, who was born in 1916. On her own, Ida was forced to support herself and her children by working as a domestic servant.
In his youth, Ellison enjoyed playing the trumpet and began performing in high school. Through a scholarship in music, Ellison entered the Tuskegee Institute of Alabama, in 1933. Ralph was surprised to find the notable all-black college was as focused on appearances as anywhere else. His poor upbringing made it difficult to fit in. His lack of fine clothing was something that caused him considerable worry. He spent time in the library reading the modernist classics, with The Waste Land having a major impact on him. After three years at the school, Ellison moved to New York City in order to earn money for his final year. He became interested in studying sculpture. However, a chance meeting with Langston Hughes and Richard Wright encouraged Ellison to join the Federal Writers' Project. When Ellison wrote a book review for Wright, it was Wright who encouraged him to pursue writing, and so Ellison began writing essays, reviews, and short stories for periodicals. He wrote over twenty book reviews, short stories, and articles in New Challenge and New Masses. Ellison later became an editor of the Negro Quarterly and also began writing a novel.
