Claude McKay: The Making of a Black Bolshevik

Claude McKay (1889-1948), a prominent Black writer and intellectual of his time, made significant contributions to Caribbean literature, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Black radical tradition. His life and writing were profoundly influenced by his class consciousness and anticolonialism, which were shaped by his upbringing in colonial Jamaica and his experiences as a writer in Harlem and London. McKay was dedicated to challenging both racism and capitalist exploitation, and he emerged as a critical observer of the Black experience across the African diaspora, ultimately aligning himself with Bolshevism.

In this illuminating work, Winston James offers a comprehensive account of McKay’s political and intellectual journey, spanning from his early years in Jamaica to his formative years as a writer and activist. McKay left Jamaica in 1912 to study in the United States, and James chronicles his time at the Tuskegee Institute and Kansas State University, where he confronted the harsh realities of American racism. Upon arriving in Harlem, McKay immersed himself in the vibrant cultural and political movements of the time, engaging with influential figures such as Hubert Harrison and Marcus Garvey. Eventually, McKay relocated to London, deepening his commitment to revolutionary socialism and undergoing a transformative shift from Fabian socialism to Bolshevism.

With a wealth of sources at his disposal, James delivers a nuanced and detailed chronicle of McKay’s life, tracing his political evolution and providing insightful historical, political, and intellectual contexts that shaped his worldview.