Letter from Ralph Ellison to Gloria Foster with envelope

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A signed letter (a) written by author Ralph Ellison to actress Gloria Foster, January 6, 1986 with original envelope (b). The letter is typewritten in black ink on white paper and consists of three paragraphs relating how moved Ellison was by a taped reading of Invisible Man performed by Foster as part of a P.E.N. America program. Ellison writes, “…never have my wife and I heard such a sensitive and eloquently rendered interpretation of the Tod Clifton – or for that matter, any other – scene from Invisible Man.” The letter is signed in blue ink [Sincerely / Ralph Ellison] at the bottom right corner. There are no markings on the reverse of the letter.

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