McKay, Claude (1890-1948), was a Black poet and novelist. His poetry is noted for its lyricism and its powerful statements of Black militancy. The best known of McKay’s four novels is Home to Harlem (1928), the story of a Black American soldier’s life after his return from France after World War I (1914-1918). This novel became controversial because some Black critics protested that it emphasized exotic elements in Black life but ignored the major problems of African Americans. McKay’s other books include Harlem Shadows (1922), a collection of poems; Banana Bottom (1933), a novel; and A Long Way from Home (1937), an autobiography. Selected Poems (1953) and the novels Amiable with Big Teeth (2017) and Romance in Marseille (2020) were published after his death.
McKay was born on Sept. 15, 1890, in Jamaica. His first two works were collections of dialect poetry published there. McKay moved to the United States in 1912 to attend college. He lived both in Europe and in the United States. He died on May 22, 1948.
