Harlem Shadows Summary
Claude McKay

Harlem Shadows Overview

“Harlem Shadows,” an 18-line sonnet, was originally published in Claude McKay’s 1922 poetry collection Harlem Shadows. Claude McKay was one of the major poets of Harlem Renaissance, whose poetry was known for its themes of transnationalism, diaspora, radical politics, and queer sexuality. Born in Jamaica, he would spend his life travelling around the world from the United States, to Russia and North Africa, never to return to his place of birth.