Description: One of the foremost Black writers and intellectuals of his era, Claude McKay (1889-1948) was a central figure in Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. Winston James offers a revelatory account of McKay's political and intellectual trajectory from his upbringing in Jamaica through 1921.
Review Quotes: James is well-known for his ability to historicize McKay while retaining a keen sensitivity to, and reading of, McKay's literary contributions. In this book, he emphasizes an often-inadequately addressed aspect of the writer's work: a deep understanding of McKay's early political formation and radicalization, and how such origins structured McKay's thinking and art.--Michelle Ann Stephens, author of Skin Acts: Race, Psychoanalysis and the Black Male Performer