The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah: The Autobiography

Benjamin Zephaniah, who has travelled the world for his art and his humanitarianism, now tells the one story that encompasses it all: the story of his life.

In the early 1980s when punks and Rastas were on the streets protesting about unemployment, homelessness and the National Front, Benjamin's poetry could be heard at demonstrations, outside police stations and on the dance floor. His mission was to take poetry everywhere, and to popularise it by reaching people who didn't read books. His poetry was political, musical, radical and relevant.

By the early 1990s, Benjamin had performed on every continent in the world (a feat which he achieved in only one year) and he hasn't stopped performing and touring since. Nelson Mandela, after hearing Benjamin's tribute to him while he was in prison, requested an introduction to the poet that grew into a lifelong relationship, inspiring Benjamin's work with children in South Africa. Benjamin would also go on to be the first artist to record with The Wailers after the death of Bob Marley in a musical tribute to Nelson Mandela.

The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah is a truly extraordinary life story which celebrates the power of poetry and the importance of pushing boundaries with the arts.

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Average rating: 10

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Community Reviews

Philippa Bee
Jan 10, 2025
10/10 stars
I listened to this as an audio book and thoroughly enjoyed Benjamin Zephaniah telling his autobiography (memoir) Thinking about it, there really could be no other option than to listen to him recount his story because Benjamin Zephaniah is (as we all know well) in fact a “performance poet” and his mastery of the spoken word has been a major factor in him getting people to think about the societal norms that the majority of us take for granted. His early life was one of poverty and trauma and he often found himself, because of the prejudice and racism of the time, on the wrong side of the law but his sheer tenacity got him through those times and from being a man with very little formal education, he has managed to teach our society to think a little differently and to see people as individuals, not as members of a certain group within society.

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