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Despite the sometimes heartfelt, often rebellious nature of his poetry, Benjamin ZephaniahHe died of a brain tumor at the age of 65. He had a wide influence in the UK and almost became a national treasure, revered by people of all classes and ages in the UK.
His down-to-earth approach to bringing poetry to the world, especially to people who wouldn’t normally read it, extends to other parts of the world, where he is respected as a writer and performer who can be relied upon for his forthrightness, honesty, and unassuming humor.
Sifani had a difficult start in Birmingham, but in the early 1980s he came to public attention by joining the ranks of post-punk street performance poets, such as John Cooper ClarkAttila the stockbroker, and, slightly differently, Linton Kwesi Johnson—all of whom eschew abstract writing in favor of depicting everyday life through a fiercely political lens.
Initially focused on the devastating effects of racism, including through his groundbreaking poetry This policeman kept kicking meZephaniah then began to think about other issues close to his heart, including unemployment, homelessness and, as a vegetarian since age 13, animal rights.
In addition to writing novels for adults, he has used his gift for terse language to become a bestselling author for teenagers, writing the following books: Talking Turkey (1994) and Windrush Children (2020) The book has become standard school reading in multicultural Britain.
Zephaniah was born Benjamin Springer in the Hockley area. Birmingham Benjamin’s father was Oswald Springer, a postal worker, and his mother was Laineve (née Wright), a nurse, who immigrated to the UK from Barbados and Jamaica respectively. He has a twin sister, Wilda, and six siblings. As a child, he experienced racial discrimination on an almost daily basis and was unhappy at home. His father was cold and violent towards him, especially towards his mother. When he was 10, Laineve suffered a particularly brutal beating, after which she and Benjamin fled together.
The two lived hand-to-mouth and never returned, alienating the other children in the family. The subsequent displacement took its toll on Zephaniah: at age 13, he was expelled from Broadway School and later sent to juvenile reformatory, while as a teenager he was jailed for crimes ranging from assault to burglary.
Poetry, Rastafari and a nerve of steel saved him. Realising he faced a long prison term and even an early death from gang violence, he left Birmingham at the age of 22 for London Become a poet.
One of his earliest memories of writing poetry is of walking to the corner store as a child, and although he was dyslexic, he inherited a strong lyrical talent from his mother. By the age of 15, he was a well-known wordsmith, and when the elders of his mother’s church saw that he had prophetic qualities in language, they gave him the name Zephaniah (“God’s Treasure”), a name that has stuck to him ever since.
In London he became part of the punk, reggae and alternative comedy scenes, reciting poetry between gigs. His first book of poetry, Pen Rhymes, was published by a co-op in 1980, and then, like Johnson, he turned to dub poetry, adding a reggae spin to his lyrics on his first album, Rasta (1982).
Soon, Zephaniah began to work in radio, television and film, and in 1990 she played Moses in the film Farendj and appeared in a TV series, Horror Poets Societywhich was screened by the BBC the following year. His first novel, The Face, was published in 1999 and tells the story of a young man whose life is changed forever when he suffers a facial injury while joyriding. But in the years before that he went on to produce a series of poetry collections, including Something Terrible (1985), Ina Liverpool (1988), City Poetry (1992) and Propaganda (1996).
In addition to 14 books of poetry and 7 albums of voice-over poetry, he has written many more novels and children’s books over the years, as well as 7 plays. One of his most notable roles was as street preacher Jeremiah Jesus in the TV series Street Preacher Jeremiah Jesus. Peaky Blinders.
In his later years, he moved from London to Lincolnshire, where he lived a quiet life, although he devoted himself to countless projects. Despite his commitment to expanding access and weakening the elite, Sifani decided that this was compatible with academic work and accepted a position as professor of poetry and creative writing in 2011. Brunel UniversityThere, he was a frequent presence in the staff room, had a friendly demeanor, and was a dedicated, hard-working lecturer.
These days he spends three months a year in China practicing Tai Chi, but despite his even-tempered nature he remains an angry man with punk sensibilities who identifies most easily, he says, with anarchism, observing that “when I see people having to put up with the government, I’m surprised they don’t stand up more often”.
Always a radical, he turned down an OBE in 2003 and, 15 years later, dismissed any idea of succeeding Carol Ann Duffy as Poet Laureate, explaining in poetic terms: “Don’t take my word for it, go read the verses/Because every Poet Laureate gets worse”.
In 1990, he married theater administrator Amina; they divorced in 2001. While visiting China in 2014, he met Qian Zheng, and they married three years later. Qian Zheng is survived by his sisters Wilda (Benjamin’s twin sister), Joyce and Millie, brothers Mark, Paul, Tipa and David, and their mother.
Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah, poet and writer, born April 15, 1958; died December 7, 2023
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