By and large, the critics and readers gave me an affirmed sense of my identity as a writer. You might know this within yourself, but to have it affirmed by others is of utmost importance. Writing is, after all, a form of communication.

" In the wake of this disillusion Ellison began writing Invisible Man a novel that was in part his response to the party's betrayal. Writing essays about both the black experience and his love for jazz music Ellison continued to receive major awards for his work.

Ralph Waldo Ellison (March 1 1914 – April 16 1994) was an American novelist literary critic scholar and writer. He was born in Oklahoma City Oklahoma. He also wrote Shadow and Act (1964) a collection of political social and critical essays and Going to the Territory (1986).