Quraysh Ali Lansana on Ellison: The Soul Of A Marxist

We sat down with scholar Quraysh Ali Lansana to talk about Ralph Ellison, the subject of his upcoming talk on March 26th.

How did you become interested in Ralph Ellison, especially the seemingly contrary nature of his place in the literary establishment and his interest in Marxism?

I became familiar with Ellison in high school, but not because Invisible Man (or any of his writings) were required reading in Enid, OK. Invisible Man has been required reading in high schools in the Oklahoma City area for decades, as OKC was his birthplace, as well as, of course, the significance of the book. That said, I didn’t read Invisible Man until I was asked to teach an Ellison/Hurston/Wright class at Chicago State University (CSU) sometime during my tenure track years in the early 2000’s. What I learned from the many Black Arts Movement (BAM) writers that visited campus throughout my nine years directing the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at CSU, is that many of them despised Ellison deeply. He possessed a seriousness, a soberness, and what some BAM participants considered an elitist disposition. Though Ellison was mentored by Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, many younger Black writers, artists and activists thought of him as not Black enough. Ellison, as a dedicated Marxist, did not embrace the nationalism of the BAM, even though he experienced the same de jure and de facto racism they did. He also considered some of the movement’s writers as weak in craft. 

I returned to Ellison upon moving back to Oklahoma seven years ago. Like him, I am a Native son of Oklahoma who left the state for 30 years never thinking I would return. Though I am not close to the writer he was, I have often thought about who I was when I left and who I am now that I am an Okie again. I have been working to unpack how Ellison became an elitist Marxist and feel strongly it is connected to the poverty and racism specific to Oklahoma.

What makes Invisible Man so important?

Many literary scholars and critics consider Invisible Man one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century. Certainly, that is worthy of debate, but what is undeniable is the import of the work at the time it was published. It was a groundbreaking novel in 1952, exploring the psychological and societal effects of racism on Black people. Richard Wright, one of Ellison’s mentors, was already engaged in these themes on a national level. But, what makes Invisible Man so poignant is the dense, poetic language and the very personal nature of the dehumanization of Black people that we as readers feel and experience along with the protagonist. The book humanizes dehumanization in such an intimate, detailed manner that there’s literally no place to hide.

Why is a discussion of Ellison especially relevant now?

2027 marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of Invisible Man, and it’s both absurd and disturbing that the themes of the book are as relevant today as they were in 1952. Ellison wrote in a time when Jim Crow legislation was the law of the land and abortion was illegal. Today, we are experiencing the systematic erasure of BIPOC history, the destruction of diversity, equity and inclusion, and the almost complete national banning of reproductive rights for women. The Red Scare was still in the air in 1952, and words like “communist” or “union organizer” were considered unpatriotic. Today, words like “socialist,” “transgender rights,” and “Black Lives Matter” are un-American. The human toll of the effects of polarization, racism and homophobia are perhaps more pronounced and profound in 2025 as they were in 1952. That doesn’t sound like progress. Feeling invisible, unheard, and unseen or unacknowledged is alive and rampant today in many sectors of life. 

Do you have a favorite piece of his writing, and if so, what is it? If someone wanted to read more of Ellison’s work (after Invisible Man), what would you recommend?

That’s a tough question. As a music and history lover, I dig Living with Music: Ralph Ellison’s Jazz Writings. I also think Shadow & Act is an important book, as the essays, reviews and interviews therein shed light on Ellison’s mind and process. So, as a writer, I think Shadow & Act is substantive. I recommend Juneteenth for novel lovers.

Ellison: The Soul Of A Marxist will be presented at 7pm on Wednesday, March 26th at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center (215 S. Tyler St.). The talk is free, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged.