Harlem Shadows

First published in 1922, Harlem Shadows is the groundbreaking poetry collection by Claude McKay that helped ignite the Harlem Renaissance. In these poems, McKay confronts the realities of race, poverty, and injustice in America while also celebrating the vitality, resilience, and artistry of Black life.

Blending the elegance of traditional sonnets with the urgency of modern themes, McKay’s verses range from searing social commentary to tender reflections on love, faith, and exile. His portraits of Harlem’s streets, his meditations on identity, and his unwavering defiance against oppression gave voice to a generation and opened the way for a flourishing of African American literature.

A landmark in both modernist and African American letters, Harlem Shadows endures as a powerful testament to beauty forged in struggle and to the unyielding spirit of a people.