Jamaican-American poet Claude McKay (1889–1948) came to the U.S. in 1912 and became an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This inexpensive edition includes a representative sample of his Jamaican dialect verse, but concentrates on poems from Harlem Shadows (1922) and uncollected verse. Edited and with an introduction by Joan R. Sherman.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
amazing poet -- limited edition,
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This review is from: Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
McKay's poetry is brilliant. Sadly, this thrift edition does not do justice to the poet or his work. I look forward to finding a definitive edition of all his poems. Many of his poems, such as "If we must die", are revolutionary. This poem uses a traditional form subversively, conveying a powerful and radical meaning. McKay, in a time when the ultimate taboo is a black man's use of violence against the white institution or individual, contemplates the use of black violent power to obtain what the African-American does not have in America -- equality, justice, etc. The fight may lead to death, but it is a death with dignity. This is just one example of McKay's great poetry. Read it, whether in this edition or another. His poems add great texture, not only to the Harlem Renaissance, but to African-American culture on a whole.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A diverse collection by a gifted poet,
This review is from: Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
"Selected Poems," by Claude McKay, is a wonderful volume by this noteworthy writer. This Dover edition, which is edited by Joan R. Sherman, includes a bibliography of work by McKay as well as an index of the poems in the book.Sherman's introduction discusses the life and career of McKay, who was born in Jamaica and came to live in the U.S. A novelist and essayist as well, he died in Chicago in 1948. Many of the poems are written in Jamaican dialect. These dialect pieces have an energetic color and musicality. Many poems also show McKay's command of standard literary English; he writes some particularly fine sonnets. Overall, this is a rich, diverse, and technically adept collection. There are many pointedly political poems that condemn racism and economic injustice, as well as sensuous love poems. There are poems that invoke both the rural tropics and the urban north. These poems show McKay to be a master of meter, rhyme, and other aspects of poetry; he uses considerable variety throughout the collection. His best pieces combine a burning passion with his impressive technical prowess. Consider "A Capitalist at Dinner," a cutting political sonnet with a devastating final couplet; or "Song of the New Soldier and Worker," another political piece that uses stunning imagery and masterful audio effects. McKay uses words as both lethal weapons against the forces of injustice and as tender instruments of passionate love. He is a poet of tremendous talent, and this collection is a real treasure.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great novel,
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This review is from: Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)
The novel is in great condition and will be a nice edition to my library.
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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100
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- Complete Poems (American Poetry Recovery Series) by Claude McKay on 52 pages
- Caribbean Waves: Relocating Claude McKay and Paule Marshall (Blacks in the Diaspora) by Heather Hathaway on 9 pages
- The Shadowed Country: Claude McKay and the Romance of the Victorians by Josh Gosciak on 8 pages
- Of Dreams Deferred, Dead or Alive: African Perspectives on African-American Writers (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies) by Femi Ojo Ade on 6 pages
- An Introduction to West Indian Poetry by Laurence A. Breiner on 5 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
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