Claude Mckay
(1890–1948)

In much of his work, Claude McKay evokes the rich colors and the rhythms of life on his native island of Jamaica.

The son of poor farm workers, McKay moved to Kingston, the capital of the Caribbean island, when he was 14. While living in Kingston, he began writing poetry. When his collection, Songs of Jamaica (1912), won an award from the Institute of Arts and Letters, he was able to immigrate to the United States.

After studying at both the Tuskegee Institute and Kansas State College, he moved to Harlem. In 1922, while living in Harlem, he published Harlem Shadows (1922), a successful collection of poetry. During the remainder of his life, McKay focused mainly on writing novels protesting the injustices of African American life. His novels include Home to Harlem (1928) and Banana Bottom (1933).

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