Jamaican-born American writer
Claude McKay figured prominently in the Harlem renaissance of the 1920s; his works include collections of poetry, such as
Constab Ballads (1912), and novels, including
Home to Harlem (1928).
Home to Harlem, a best-seller, won Festus Claudius McKay, a poet and a seminal figure, the Harmon gold award for literature.
He also wrote novels
Banjo and
Banana Bottom . People not yet published his manuscript, called
Amiable with Big Teeth: A Novel of the Love Affair between the Communists and the Poor Black Sheep of Harlem , of 1941.
McKay also authored collections of poetry, a collection of short stories,
Gingertown . He authored two autobiographical books,
A Long Way from Home and
My Green Hills of Jamaica , published posthumously. He entitled a non-fiction, socio-historical treatise
Harlem: Negro Metropolis . People published his poetry collection,
Harlem Shadows , in 1922 among the first books during the Harlem renaissance. Survivors published his
Selected Poems posthumously in 1953.