Scarce first edition of one of the "founding texts of in Caribbean literature" (James) from this important and influential Harlem Renaissance writer.
Very good plus.
Price: $2,000.00
"With the short stories set in Jamaica that form part of the collection GINGERTOWN [...] McKay returns to his native land." — Carl Pedersen
Jamaican-born Claude McKay, though "a leading writer and intellectual of the Harlem Renaissance" (Finkelman), was — despite his prominence in the movement — also seen as a somewhat liminal figure, "result[ing] in part from his physical absence from the Harlem scene" (Valkeakari). Written in France and Morocco, GINGERTOWN, his only collection of short stories, faired poorly with readers. But it is increasingly recognized as an important milestone in the literature of Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Read more: Pedersen, "Caribbean Voices: Claude McKay and Eric Walrond," in The Cambridge Companion to the Harlem Renaissance; James, Claude McKay: The Making of a Black Bolshevik, 36; Finkelman, Encyclopedia of African American History; Valkeakari, "Through a Black Traveler's Eyes," Nordic Association for American Studies, vol. 38 no. 1; Blockson Collection 5348.
First printing. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1932. 7.5'' x 4.75''. Publisher's original black cloth over patterned boards. Lacking the rare dust jacket. With matching patterned blue and red endpapers. x, 274 pages. Some moderate rubbing, shelfwear. Faint toning to pages. Else clean and sound.
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