Summary
Ralph Ellison: The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, one of the most important novels not only of the American literary tradition, but also of the twentieth century itself, was published in New York in 1952 (Random House). Arousing great interest from the beginning, the book was first banned, and then exalted as a literary masterpiece. Although still relevant, this extremely critical and dark novel has not found its place in many school libraries in the USA even in the 21st century, where it certainly belongs - as a bold, penetrating testimony of a time - in the service of humanity. The former president of the USA, Barack Obama, places The Invisible Man at the very top of American contemporary literature; so he called his biography "Barack Obama: The Invisible Man", and he directly shaped his memoir "My Father's Dreams" in relation to Ellison's novel. With this edition, we finally have the opportunity to read it in Croatian.
The nameless black protagonist is faced with cognitive dissonance caused by the humiliating opportunities offered to him at every turn. Traveling from the South to Harlem's streets and basements, he introduces us to a seemingly parallel reality, against which our own seems like hilarious relief. Narrated in a tense and caustic voice, the novel spans the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, creating, in style and content, one of the most daring works of literature of the twentieth century.
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