Benjamin Zephaniah, who has died of a brain tumour aged 65, was a writer and dub poet, often intoning his words over a reggae backbeat; he went from the streets of Handsworth to become a treasured figure on the UK’s literary scene, described as “the people’s laureate” and celebrated for his works on race. His mission, he said, was “to take poetry everywhere” and he described his technique as “dub ranting”, adding: “I do it because there is no justice.”
The bestselling author presents his latest biography, about the billionaire entrepreneur whose visionary projects speak to a traumatic and violent childhood and the abusive father that shaped his psyche.
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Lawrence Pfaff Jr. said that writing the obituary was his healing process following years of abuse from his father, former NYPD cop Lawrence H. Pfaff Sr.