Ellison published eight excerpts from the novel during his lifetime, including an excerpt called "Juneteenth" in "the Quarterly Review of Literature" in 1965, and the story "Cadillac Flambé", published in "American Review" in 1973 and reprinted many times since, which received considerable critical attention, leading to a lot of interest in the (then) unpublished work. However, although he had written over 2,000 pages by the time of his death (other sources say 1,500 pages, not including revised versions of scenes), Ellison never finished the novel.