Invisible Man
- by Ralph Ellison.
I consider this to be one of the greatest works of American Literature. The unnamed protagonist’s search for identity in a world that will not see him gives us as readers an opportunity to try and understand the psychological devastation of racism in its subtle as well as its violent forms as well as to consider how each of us participates in the fate of all humanity. Ellison weaves in themes and images from Virgil, Dante, Emerson, and TS Eliot while also using the structure and transcendence of Jazz to create a work that haunts and stirs to the core of our experience. This Salon may require one or two additional meetings.