TODAY IN BLACK HISTORY

Invisible Man wins award

February 9, 1952

Author Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man wins the National Book Award. Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1, 1913 – April 16, 1994) was a scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, named by his father after Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ellison was best known for his novel Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1952. He also wrote Shadow and Act (1964), a collection of political, social and critical essays, and Going to the Territory (1986).