West Ham Online

Died at 65 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor just 8 weeks ago. Brutal. Poor bloke.

Good to see a decent Jewish poet finally being recognised. Shame it was only after his death.

""" His second novel, Refugee Boy, was the recipient of the 2002 Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category"" I read that in the voice of Alan Partridge."

BillyJenningsBoots lol. Obama was inaugurated as the president of the USA on the 20th January 2009. Less than 9 months later they announced he had ‘won’ the Nobel peace prize.

My ignorance of poets you may blame But to be blunt I'd never heard of the cսnt and certainly couldn't pronounce his fucking name

"Zephaniah won the BBC Radio 4 Young Playwrights Festival Award in 1998 and was the recipient of at least sixteen honorary doctorates. A ward at Ealing Hospital was named in his honour. His second novel, Refugee Boy, was the recipient of the 2002 Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category. In 1982, he released an album, Rasta, which featured the Wailers performing for the first time since the death of Bob Marley, as well as a tribute to Nelson Mandela. It topped the charts in Yugoslavia, and due to its success Mandela invited Zephaniah to host the president's Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in 1996. As an actor, he had a major role in the BBC's Peaky Blinders between 2013 and 2022. RIP Ben."

"""RIP Ben - just ignore them your achievements and talent are clear to those that cared."" He's dead so he won't see that, just like nobody could see any talent in his work."

Scum - just don't post then.... instead you have to make it about you... sad really. RIP Ben - just ignore them your achievements and talent are clear to those that cared.

ray winstone 8:00 Thu Dec 7 Very impressive. I'm assuming he wrote that whilst he was at primary school?

"Sorry for not liking a racist who moaned about racism, through shit poetry Billy."

Betjeman... Not Benjamin

"When people praise other poets, Benjamin, Elliot, Burns no one bangs on about them sticking to their political opposites. They delve into their oeuvre and marvel at their abilities with words. Zephaniah, wasn't even a good poet. Everyone had to pretend he was because he was a useful pawn in the culture war. All the praise he gets is because of his politics. You never hear any technical praise of his poetry skills, just praise that he criticised the people that the left likes to criticise: the monarchy, the tories, etc etc. (as evidenced in this thread)"

Yep you are a moron

"Made a living from the colour of his skin, whilst moaning about racism Moron."

", 8:43 Thu Dec 7 And he questioned Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, live on air, as to why she was going to accept a gong. He made her think and she changed her mind and turned it down. Top man and respect to Yasmin too."

Turned down an OBE some twenty 6ears ago. Top man.

"We can all be refugees Nobody is safe, All it takes is a mad leader Or no rain to bring forth food, We can all be refugees We can all be told to go, We can be hated by someone For being someone. - Benjamin Zephaniah, 'We Refugees'"

"Obsessed with the colour of his face He'd write endlessly about race Then came the big C to end poetry and to free up a council house space. Never liked him. Anti-British ""activist"" and his poems were not much better than mine RIP anyway."

I hoped it wasn’t true I hoped it was a vicious rumour But it seems he really did Just have a vicious cerebral tumour

Sad news. Way to young. Liked some of his stuff. Always came across as a classy bloke. Rip

"Or a brain tumour, even."