Claude McKay: The Making of a Black Bolshevik

Claude McKay was a key figure in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. Winston James' book explores his political and intellectual journey from his upbringing in Jamaica to his time in the US and radical activism in Harlem and London.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 464 pages
Publication date: 12 July 2022
Publisher: Columbia University Press

Claude McKay, a prominent Black writer and intellectual of his era, played a significant role in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. Born in 1889 and passing away in 1948, McKay's life and work were deeply influenced by his class consciousness and anticolonialism, shaped by his experiences growing up in colonial Jamaica and his early career as a writer in Harlem and London. He dedicated himself to challenging racism and capitalist exploitation, becoming a critical observer of the Black condition across the African diaspora. McKay's political and intellectual journey is explored in detail by Winston James in his book. McKay left Jamaica in 1912 to pursue his studies in the United States, where he encountered the harsh realities of American racism. He moved to Harlem, a vibrant hub of Black cultural and political movements, where he interacted with figures such as Hubert Harrison and Marcus Garvey. His commitment to revolutionary socialism grew stronger, culminating in his transformation from a Fabian socialist to a Bolshevik. James draws on a wide range of sources to provide a comprehensive and richly detailed account of McKay's life, political evolution, and the historical, political, and intellectual contexts that shaped him.

Claude McKay, a prominent Black writer and intellectual of his era, played a significant role in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. Born in 1889 and passing away in 1948, McKay's life and work were deeply influenced by his class consciousness and anticolonialism, shaped by his experiences growing up in colonial Jamaica and his early career as a writer in Harlem and London. He dedicated himself to challenging racism and capitalist exploitation, becoming a critical observer of the Black condition across the African diaspora. McKay's political and intellectual journey is explored in detail by Winston James in his book. McKay left Jamaica in 1912 to pursue his studies in the United States, where he encountered the harsh realities of American racism. He moved to Harlem, a vibrant hub of Black cultural and political movements, where he interacted with figures such as Hubert Harrison and Marcus Garvey. His commitment to revolutionary socialism grew stronger, culminating in his transformation from a Fabian socialist to a Bolshevik. James draws on a wide range of sources to provide a comprehensive and richly detailed account of McKay's life, political evolution, and the historical, political, and intellectual contexts that shaped him.

Claude McKay, a prominent Black writer and intellectual of his era, played a significant role in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. Born in 1889 and passing away in 1948, McKay's life and work were deeply influenced by his class consciousness and anticolonialism, shaped by his experiences growing up in colonial Jamaica and his early career as a writer in Harlem and London. He dedicated himself to challenging racism and capitalist exploitation, becoming a critical observer of the Black condition across the African diaspora. McKay's political and intellectual journey is explored in detail by Winston James in his book. McKay left Jamaica in 1912 to pursue his studies in the United States, where he encountered the harsh realities of American racism. He moved to Harlem, a vibrant hub of Black cultural and political movements, where he interacted with figures such as Hubert Harrison and Marcus Garvey. His commitment to revolutionary socialism grew stronger, culminating in his transformation from a Fabian socialist to a Bolshevik. James draws on a wide range of sources to provide a comprehensive and richly detailed account of McKay's life, political evolution, and the historical, political, and intellectual contexts that shaped him.

Weight: 674g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231135931