via the first paragraphs of Ralph Ellison‘s famous novel Invisible Man (1952) / (selection of essays, interviews, and reviews from The New York Times Books archive (login via bugmenot), dating from 1952 to present.)
Nor is my invisibility exactly a matter of a biochemical accident to my epidermis. That invisibility to which I refer occurs because of a peculiar disposition of the eyes of those with whom I come in contact. A matter of the construction of their inner eyes, those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality. I am not complaining, nor am I protesting either. It is sometimes advantageous to be unseen, although it is most often rather wearing on the nerves. Then too, you’re constantly being bumped against by those of poor vision. Or again, you often doubt if you really exist. You wonder whether you aren’t simply a phantom in other people’s minds. …
.. to be continued on issues of in/visibility, identity and racism …