In this Book

summary

“Cooper paints a meticulous and absorbing portrait of McKay’s restless artistic, intellectual, and political odyssey... The definitive biography on McKay.”—Choice


Although recognized today as one of the genuine pioneers of black literature in this century—the author of “If We Must Die,” Home to Harlem, Banana Bottom, and A Long Way from Home, among other works—Claude McKay (1890–1948) died penniless and almost forgotten in a Chicago hospital. In this masterly study, Wayne Cooper presents a fascinating, detailed account of McKay’s complex, chaotic, and frequently contradictory life.


In his poetry and fiction, as well as in his political and social commentaries, McKay searched for a solid foundation for a valid black identity among the working-class cultures of the West Indies and the United States. He was an undeniably important predecessor to such younger writers of the Harlem Renaissance as Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen, and also to influential West Indian and African writers such as C. L. R. James and Aimé Césaire. Knowledge of his life adds important dimensions to our understanding of American radicalism, the expatriates of the 1920s, and American literature.


“Mr. Cooper’s most original contribution is his careful and perceptive analysis of McKay’s nonfiction writing, especially his social and political commentary, which often contained ‘prophetic statements‘ on a range of important social, political, and historical issues.”—New York Times Book Review

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Title Page, Copyright
  2. pp. i-iv
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Preface and Acknowledgments
  2. pp. vii-xiv
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 1 The Jamaican Family Background
  2. pp. 1-34
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 2 The Jamaican Poetry as Autobiography: Claude McKay in 1912
  2. pp. 35-62
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 3 The Early American Years, 1912–1919
  2. pp. 63-102
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 4 McKay in England, 1919–1921
  2. pp. 103-133
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 5 With the Liberator, 1921–1922
  2. pp. 134-170
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 6 The Journey to Russia, 1922–1923
  2. pp. 171-192
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 7 The Expatriate Years, 1923–1925: “Color Scheme"
  2. pp. 193-222
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 8 The Expatriate Years, 1925–1929: Home to Harlem and Banjo
  2. pp. 223-263
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 9 The Expatriate Years, 1929–1934: Gingertown and Banana Bottom
  2. pp. 264-290
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 10 The Search for Self-Definition, 1934–1937: A Long Way from Home
  2. pp. 291-321
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 11 Looking Forward: The Search for Community, 1937-1940
  2. pp. 322-346
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. 12 Right Turn to Catholicism, 1940–1948
  2. pp. 347-370
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Abbreviations
  2. pp. 371-374
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 375-424
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Essay on Sources
  2. pp. 425-430
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 431-441
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.