Claude McKay
Jamaican-American poet and novelist who was a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. His poetry and novel Home to Harlem brought Caribbean sensibility to African American literature and articulated Black pride before the civil rights era.
Works
- Home to HarlemNovel of Black soldier's return to Harlem amid 1920s cultural awakening
- BanjoNovel of diverse Black expatriates and artists in Paris and port cities
- Banana BottomNovel of Black woman's return to Caribbean island and spiritual homecoming
- GingertownCollection of stories depicting Black life across Jamaica, Harlem, and diaspora
- A Long Way from HomeAutobiography tracing Black poet's radical political awakening and artistic journey
- Spring in New HampshireCollection of poems addressing themes of identity, protest, and Black experience
- Harlem ShadowsCollection of poems celebrating Harlem Renaissance and Black artistic consciousness
- If We Must Die
- Selected PoemsCollection of selected poems spanning Black poet's career and artistic evolution