From Publishers Weekly
Born in Clarendon Parish in Jamaica, poet and novelist Claude McKay (1890-1948) wrote in dialect and by 1912, when he left for the U.S., was known as "the Robert Burns of Jamaica." In his depiction of McKay's stern father and nurturing mother, Tillery, history professor at Wayne State University, demonstrates the contradictions that were to become a permanent part of McKay's life. The book chronicles McKay's move to New York City, the failure of his marriage and of a business venture, the growing radicalism that would culminate in his trip in 1922 to Russia, and his return to become part of the Harlem Renaissance. In 1928 he wrote Home to Harlem , a novel (the first by a black to become a bestseller) illustrating his own--and those of other black artist and radicals--class, race and artistic struggles. McKay's later renunciation of communism and his conversion to Catholicism, his battle with syphilis and his death in Chicago of heart failure are detailed with sensitivity in this comprehensive critical biography.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
McKay, known as a pioneer of Jamaican dialect poetry, left his native Jamaica in 1912 to seek wider recognition in the United States. As a West Indian, McKay was overwhelmed by racism: whites stereotyped him and less-educated black Americans resented him. As an artist, he was further frustrated to find a market solely interested in poetry with racial themes. His poem "If We Must Die" established him as a voice for his race, but McKay wanted to write on universal themes and be recognized as a poet, not just a black poet. This critical biography chronicles McKay's growing radicalism; his embrace of communism, followed by a trip to Russia; and his denunciation of communism, after which he returned to New York and became a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Tillery performs a commendable task of delving into McKay's inner conflicts and sorting through the contradictions of a complex man who "had a tendency to rewrite his own history." For scholarly collections.
- Joanne Snapp, Virginia Commonwealth Univ., RichmondCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
