Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Our nonfiction read for August is A Long Way From Home by Claude McKay. This is a biography of an African American poet and writer.

From GR: Claude McKay (1889–1948) was one of the most prolific and sophisticated African American writers of the early twentieth century. A Jamaican-born author of poetry, short stories, novels, and nonfiction, McKay has often been associated with the “New Negro” or Harlem Renaissance, a movement of African American art, culture, and intellectualism between World War I and the Great Depression. But his relationship to the movement was complex. Literally absent from Harlem during that period, he devoted most of his time to traveling through Europe, Russia, and Africa during the 1920s and 1930s. His active participation in Communist groups and the radical Left also encouraged certain opinions on race and class that strained his relationship to the Harlem Renaissance and its black intelligentsia. In his 1937 autobiography, A Long Way from Home, McKay explains what it means to be a black “rebel sojourner” and presents one of the first unflattering, yet informative, exposés of the Harlem Renaissance.

With editions less than 300 pages, this nonfiction read should not take up too much time for those interested in reading it.

I'm looking forward to this one Samantha, and my copy arrived yesterday! I hope to start reading it in the next day or two.

Wow, John, you came prepared. Thank you for paying attention to our upcoming reads threads and the NF schedule.

Is anyone else reading A Long Way From Home this month?

If any group members have read any of his novels or poetry I'd be interested in hearing what you thought.

As Samantha predicted, it didn't take much time to read A Long Way From Home - my copy was 270 pages.

Much about the book was enjoyable - the author certainly seems to have gone out of his way to meet as many people as possible who he could benefit from, and lived through some interesting events and experiences.

He doesn't come across in the books as a particularly likeable character - yet he must have been, judging by the number who helped him and gave him money. If his accounts of his time in Russia are to be believed for example, a relatively modest amount of talent and fame seems to have taken him a long way. I think I ought to read some of his work (only a few examples of his poetry are included in the autobiography) and perhaps the biography by Wayne F. Cooper in order to get a better understanding of him.

All in all, a worthwhile read and I'm grateful to Samantha and the moderators for including it in this year's challenge. And I'd love to hear what others think about this autobiography.