Claude McKay: Rebel Sojourner in the Harlem Renaissance
by Wayne F. Cooper
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"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 show more 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 Aime? Ce?saire. 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 show lessTags
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1+ Work 49 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Claude McKay: Rebel Sojourner in the Harlem Renaissance
- People/Characters
- Claude McKay
- Important events
- Harlem Renaissance
Classifications
- Genres
- Literature Studies and Criticism, Fiction and Literature, Biography & Memoir
- DDC/MDS
- 818.5209 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American miscellaneous writings in English 20th Century 1900-1945 Biography
- LCC
- PS3525 .A24785 .Z63 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1900-1960
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 49
- Popularity
- 612,648
- Rating
- (4.33)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 2
