Claude McKay (1889–1948) was a Jamaican-born writer, poet, and political activist. His first novel, Home to Harlem, a bestseller that won the Harmon Gold Award for Literature, was published in 1928. He wrote seven novels, two memoirs, short stories, poetry, and an essay collection entitled Harlem: Negro Metropolis. Harlem Shadows was among the first books published during the Harlem Renaissance.
