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A review by sisteray
Harlem Shadows: Poems by Claude McKay
4.0
So, I really liked this, but, despite some amazing moments, I didn’t love it the way I wanted to.
It’s hard to fully assess this work without recognizing that McKay was intentionally using sonnets as a way to talk heavy subjects with a lilting aristocratic form. He could talk about sex, slavery, institutional racism, capitalism, prostitution, marijuana and rebellion kind of under the radar because the format makes light of these.
That said, the sonnet for did frequently interfere with my absolute enjoyment of his otherwise fantastic lyricism.
Still, there are some truly powerful pieces in this, sitting right next to some wondrous delights.
It’s hard to fully assess this work without recognizing that McKay was intentionally using sonnets as a way to talk heavy subjects with a lilting aristocratic form. He could talk about sex, slavery, institutional racism, capitalism, prostitution, marijuana and rebellion kind of under the radar because the format makes light of these.
That said, the sonnet for did frequently interfere with my absolute enjoyment of his otherwise fantastic lyricism.
Still, there are some truly powerful pieces in this, sitting right next to some wondrous delights.