The Cambridge Companion to Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison (1913‐1994) is perceived not incorrectly as the author of a very important novel, Invisible Man (1952). In addition, there are two collections of essays, Shadow and Act (1964) and Going to the Territory (1986), plus a novel destroyed in a fire that he was working on at the time of his death. Ross Posnock's collection contains, in addition to his “Introduction: Ellison's joking” (pp. 1‐10), and contribution “Ralph Ellison, Hannah Arendt, and the meaning of politics”, (pp. 201‐16), 11 other essays focusing upon diverse aspects of Ellison's achievement. There is a detailed Chronology, (pp. xi‐xiv) revealing that Ralph...