Benjamin Zephaniah died at the age of 65, leaving behind a wealth of beloved works.
British poet and writer, who also played the main role. Peaky Blindersdied early Thursday, eight weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, his family said.
In a statement on his Instagram page, his family said: “It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, son and brother.
“Benjamin’s wife was by his side all the time and was with him when he died. We have shared this with the world and know that many will be shocked and saddened by this news.
“Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator and gave so much to the world. With an incredible career spanning a vast range of poetry, literature, music, television and radio, Benjamin has left us a joyful and fantastic legacy.
“Thank you for the love you showed Professor Benjamin Zephaniah.”
Zephaniah was a master of dub poetry and popularized the genre in Britain. He also wrote five novels and poems for children. His first book for young readers, Talking Turkeys, was a huge success when it was published in 1994.
His works were indirectly used in schools and were very popular among students.
Here you can check out some of his best and most popular works.
The best poems of Benjamin Zephaniah
Zephaniah published numerous collections of poetry during his career, including:
- Rhythm of the pen (1980)
- A Terrible Business: Collection of Poems (1985)
- Rasta period in Palestine (1990)
- Talking turkeys (1994)
- We are Great Britain! (2002)
- People need people (2023)
One of his most popular poems is “A Tribute to British Diversity”, which reads like a recipe from a cookbook. It contains the lines:
“Then take a mixture of Somalis, Sri Lankans, Nigerians / and Pakistanis / combine them with a little Guyana / and turn it up.”
And: “Attention: all ingredients are equally important. Treating one ingredient better than another will result in a bitter and unpleasant taste.”
focuses on the struggles that African men in England have faced and continue to face in the face of racism and violence. It begins with the verse: “We black men of England / Too proud to cry for shame / And a steep walk / Won’t keep us out of jail.”
is a reference to Rudyard Kipling’s If, which explores the struggles of people from different backgrounds.
It contains the lines: “When you seek peace in a time of war / And see that the oil traders are to blame / When you can meet a pimp or a politician / And treat the two crooks the same.”
The best books of Benjamin Zephaniah
Although Zephaniah is best known for his poetry, he also wrote novels for teenagers.
His first book, published in 1999, is about a little boy named Martin who suffered facial injuries in a car accident and how his life changed after the incident.
(2001) was about a 14-year-old refugee from Ethiopia and Eritrea who fled to the UK in 2004. It was about a boy who dropped out of school to pursue his dream of a career in hip-hop.
(2007) told the story of a boy who investigates the murder of one of his teachers by his classmates, and his latest novel, (2020) is about a Jamaican child who comes to Britain with his mother during the Windrush generation.
The Legacy of Benjamin Zephaniah
Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham and began writing poetry at a young age. He was influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and is credited with bringing dub poetry to a wider audience.
The British Council has defined it as “a form of spoken poetry, sometimes sung to music, usually based on reggae rhythms and Rastafarian rhetoric. His poems are often inspired by political issues.”
Zephaniah himself describes this in his poem “Dis Poetry”…
This poetry is like a case of riddim
Tongue shoots a riddim that shoots like shots
This poetry is formed in conversation
(…)
This poetry accompanies me when I ride my bike
I tried Shakespeare, respect
But that’s what I like.
He left school at 13, partly because he suffered from dyslexia and could not read or write, but this did not stop him from pursuing a career in the arts.
By age 15, he had earned a reputation as an aspiring poet, outspoken on racial slurs and education.
At the age of 22, he moved to London to further his career and published his first book, The Rhythm of the Pen. During the British punk movement of the 1970s, Zephaniah’s poetry became more common, leading to its appearance at demonstrations and club nights.
He wrote several more books in the 1990s and continued to write throughout his life, publishing collections of poetry for adults and children, as well as novels, including Refugee boy, view AND Child of terror.
His fame led to appearances on classic British TV shows such as EastEnders AND Check. From 2013 to 2022, he played the role of Jeremiah Jesus in the hit BBC drama. Peaky Blindersset in the West Midlands, it also stars Cillian Murphy and the late Helen McCrory.
As his influence and popularity grew, in 2003, then-Prime Minister Tony Blair offered Zephaniah an OBE, which he famously refused due to his connection to the British Empire and its history of slavery.
Write Guard Then he said: “Me? I thought: obey me? “Yours,” I thought. I get angry when I hear the word “empire”; It reminds me of slavery, it reminds me of thousands of years of cruelty, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my ancestors were raped.
“I’m not someone who is obsessed with my roots, and I definitely don’t suffer from an identity crisis; My obsession is the future and political rights of all people. Benjamin Zephaniah OBE is absolutely not Mr. Blair, absolutely not Mrs. Queen. I am deeply against the empire.”
In 2018, he ruled himself out as the next poet laureate, tweeting at the time: “I have absolutely no interest in this job. I won’t work for them. They depress me, they make me angry and they are not worth it. I write to connect with people and have never felt the need to reach my people through church, state or monarchy. No money. Freedom or death.”
That same year, his work was nominated for Autobiography of the Year at the National Book Awards. The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin ZephaniahIt was also nominated for a Costa Book Award in 2018.
Zephaniah was also known for his work as a musician in the Benjamin Zephaniah Band and was the first to record a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela with the Wailers after the death of Bob Marley.
Over the years, Zephaniah has received several honorary degrees, including doctorates from London South Bank University, the University of Exeter and the University of Westminster.
Source: I News
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