Ralph Waldo Ellison was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on 1 March 1914, when the Southwest was still alive with the frontier spirit. Having become a state just seven years before, Oklahoma lacked the inexorable racial castes to be found at that time in the Deep South. As he grew up in an atmosphere that did not stifle personal aspirations, Ellison decided to become a "Renaissance Man." He was determined to devour experience and conquer all realms of knowledge.

His dreams met with uncommon success. After attending Tuskegee Institute in Alabama for three years (1933-1936), he headed north to study sculpture. In New York he met Richard Wright, who encouraged him to write a book review; before long, Ellison was writing not only reviews, but essays and short stories. He also became an editor of the Negro Quarterly and began thinking about a novel as he served in the Merchant...