American author Ralph Waldo Ellison (1914-1994) wrote "Invisible Man," a classic 20th-century American novel. He was an early spokesman among African Americans for the need for racial identity. Ralph Ellison was born in Oklahoma City on March 1, 1914....

Centuries hence, when the important Afro-American writers of our day are studied, perhaps Ralph Ellison--novelist, short-story writer, and essayist--will be considered the most indispensable. Already, a great many critics think that his Invisible Man...

Though his reputation rests on a single novel, many critics consider Ralph Ellison to be the preeminent Afro-American writer, and others have argued that Invisible Man ranks with the most significant American literary works of this century. In the...

Should Christopher Hitchens win a National Book Award, you can be sure he won't thank any higher powers.The author, columnist and commentator was nominated for "God Is Not Great," a polemic with a self-evident theme. Hitchens' book received mixed reviews, but became a best seller...

Recorded at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in New York, Hard Groove was mixed down in analog to simulate the live show ambiance of a juke joint, tavern, or even a South African shebeen-right in your home. The album opens up with "Hardgroove," a bass-driven,...

You may remember Nathan Englander.He was the author of "For the Relief of Unbearable Urges," a debut story collection published to universal acclaim and solid sales. He was the long-haired, 29-year-old American living in Jerusalem and sustaining the spirit of such Old World masters as...

George Orwell, Arthur Miller and Bertrand Russell have been among its contributors. Influential texts have included Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's then-secret denunciation of Stalin and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter From a Birmingham Jail."The New Leader, founded in 1924, is a chronically underfunded...

In the following essay, Mazurek examines the key themes of class and race in Ellison's Flying Home and Other Stories and argues that these early short stories offer insight into his leftist political ideology as well as his growth as a writer.

In the following essay, Blake considers the role of African American folklore in Ellison's short stories.

In the following essay, Blake illustrates how Ellison's use of black folklore aids him in "bridg[ing the gap between the uniqueness and the universality of black experience."]