Ralph Waldo Ellison was born on March 1, 1914 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His prolific works include the highly acclaimed Invisble Man, Shadow and Act, and numerous short stories. His illustrious honors range from the National Book Award, which he garnered in 1953, to the Medal of Freedom, received in 1969. Ellison has served as an inspiration to African American and fellow writers. His writings offered first hand experience into the eyes and minds of young Negroes in the cruel world. His use of surrealism astounded readers and brought the understanding of the Negro into the forefront of American culture.

Ellison's life was not filled with struggle as TIM's (the Invisible Man) is. In the early twentieth century, African Americans were forced to endure many prejudices and cruel discrimination although they had been declared free half a century earlier. Although not without prejudice, Ellison's life differed greatly from most African Americans of his time period. Oklahoma, which had just been granted its statehood in 1907, proved to be the ideal environment to spawn such a writer. Ellison was determined to succeed and bring light to the general public about the hardships Negroes faced. He wanted to become a "Renaissance Man." Ellison was an accomplished trumpeter, photographer, furniture maker, and electrician. These traits help to represent the time period that Ellison lived. The Harlem Renaissance, an expression of black culture, influenced African Americans greatly. His electrician's skills conjure memories of the illumination of 1,369 bulbs in his underground cellar in the novel. Ellison attended, from 1933-1936, the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. After three years of school, Ellison traveled to New York City to begin his writing career. This move parallels that of TIM's in the novel when he moves to New York City as well. Invisible Man is not an autobiographical story of Ralph Ellison, but there are many glaring similarities to both characters' lives. Ellison uses this story as a vehicle to express his views and make others aware of the life of a Negro.

It was in New York City that Ellison met Richard Wright, the author of Native Son who jumpstarted Ralph's writing career by convincing Ellison to write a literary review. This encouraged Ellison to write more and he turned out reviews, essays, and short stories. "As a young writer, Ellison quickly became dissatisfied with the typical naturalistic scenarios in which characters, struggling to survive the merciless American environment, are eventually overcome by impersonal forces" (O'Meally 1). Ellison longed to create a novel that depicted the black American life. After a brief interlude in the Merchant Marines during World War II, Ellison worked for the next seven years to create such a novel. In 1952, Invisible Man was published.

Invisible Man drew rave reviews from a variety of critics.