Ralph Ellison was born on March 1, 1913 in Oklahoma. He studied music at Tuskegee Institute on a scholarship. Before he graduated, he had switched to sculpture. He began writing in the 1930’s when he joined the Federal Writers’ Project . During World War II, he worked as a cook with the Merchant Marines. In 1946, he married Fanny Ellison.

Ralph Ellison ’s first story was published in 1937 and he followed that with writing many book reviews in various magazines. He is best-known for his only completed novel, The Invisible Man . He began writing the book after World War II. The Invisible Man won the National Book Award in 1953.

In later life, Ellison taught at New York University. In 1969, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom . Ralph Ellison died of pancreatic cancer on April 16, 1994.

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