Novel Background
Ralph Ellison wrote the Invisible Man in the late 1940’s, unlike The Invisible Man written by Richard Wright; Ellison’s novel captures the attention of the black folk in 20th century Harlem. This novel took Ellison seven years to complete his project in extensive detail, about an Invisible Man. The Invisible Man was finally published in 1952, with the support of his second wife and the Rosenwald Foundation. The reason for his involvement in this novel, was due to the era African American segregation.