Benjamin Zephaniah was a British writer and Dub poet whose work often contains the language and rhythms of his Jamaican heritage.
Born in Birmingham, Zephaniah moved to London in 1980 and his debut poetry collection was published the same year. He became a prolific and highly acclaimed performance poet, whose work frequently touched on themes of political injustice, releasing more volumes of vibrant and accessible ‘street poetry’ in the late 80s and early 90s. His first collection of verse for children, Talking Turkeys, came out in 1995 and went into emergency reprint due to its unexpected success, whilst his debut Young Adult novel Face was published to critical acclaim four years later. A committed Rastafarian, vegan and political activist, he also wrote plays, acted in film and television productions and recorded numerous reggae records.
Zephaniah passed away in December 2023 at the age of 65.
From protest to poetry, one of Britain’s most revolutionary writers - and a pioneer for making poetry relevant and accessible - tells his firebrand story for the first time.
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