The Selected Letters of Ralph Ellison

ISBN: 0812998529

Author: Ellison, Ralph

Condition: New

A radiant collection of letters from the renowned author of Invisible Man that trace the life and mind of a giant of American literature, with insights into the riddle of identity, the writers craft, and the story of a changing nation over six decadesA NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOKThese extensive and revealing letters span the life of Ralph Ellison and provide a remarkable window into the great writers life and work, his friendships, rivalries, anxieties, and all the questions about identity, art, and the American soul that bedeviled and inspired him until his death. They include early notes to his mother, written as an impoverished college student; lively exchanges with the most distinguished American writers and thinkers of his time, from Romare Bearden to Saul Bellow; and letters to friends and family from his hometown of Oklahoma City, whose influence would always be paramount.These letters are beautifully rendered first-person accounts of Ellisons life and work and his observations of a changing world, showing his metamorphosis from a wide-eyed student into a towering public intellectual who confronted and articulated Americas complexities.