---

The stunning autobiography of the poet, writer, lyricist and activist, Benjamin Zephaniah.

---

BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week

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.

---

´The Life and Rhymes has a performative quality reminiscent of Zephaniah´s poetry - honest, unshowy and ultimately unthreatening. It matches the man.´ The Guardian

---