

Time magazine included the novel in its 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005 list, calling it "the quintessential American picaresque of the 20th century", rather than a "race novel, or even a bildungsroman". In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Invisible Man 19th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. National Book Award for Fiction in 1953, making Ellison the first African-American writer to win the award.

Washington, as well as issues of individuality and personal identity. It addresses many of the social and intellectual issues faced by African Americans in the early 20th century, including black nationalism, the relationship between black identity and Marxism, and the reformist racial policies of Booker T.

Invisible Man is Ralph Ellison's first novel, published by Random House in 1952.
