Originally published in 1952 as the first novel by a then unknown author, 'Invisible Man' remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. In this deeply compelling novel and epic milestone of American literature, a nameless narrator tells his story from the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. The book describes growing up in a Black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood," before retreating amid violence and confusion.