A Long Way from Home
New York: Lee Furman Inc, 1937. First edition, first issue. Hardcover. 354pp. Octavo [21 cm] Orange patterned cloth over boards. Publisher's black topstain. Front hinge a bit soft; cloth a bit frayed at the extremities; spine lightly rolled; small scribble to the foot of the text block; bookseller's ink stamp on the front free endpaper. In a worn dust jacket, which is torn along both folds of the spine, has loss from the foot of the spine, and is taped at the tears. Good + / fair. Item #62265
An autobiographical novel, and an account of the author's journey to England, Russia, France, Germany, Spain, northern Africa, and ultimately back to America and his beloved Harlem.
Claude McKay, born in Jamaica in 1889, and the son of peasant farmers, was a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His works often highlighted the celebration of peasant life in Jamaica, and protested racial and economic inequities. McKay's poem, "If We Must Die," assured his leading role in the Harlem Renaissance. In the poem, he writes, "Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack. Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!" This work, A Long Way from Home, underscores the author's long-held belief that one must struggle against colonialism, segregation, and oppression. (Poetryfoundation.org).
Price: $500.00