Benjamin Zephaniah: My six best books
Benjamin, 51, was dyslexic as a child and left school unable to read and write. But he has since gone on to become one of Britain’s best-known poets. He will be appearing on the poetry programme, Off By Heart, tonight at 9pm on BBC Two.
A Book of Nonsense
by Mervyn Peake
Peter Owen, £7.95
An old favourite of mine, this is a book of poems about animals living in jars and that kind of thing. It’s completely off the wall and when I learnt to read properly in my 20s I found it such good fun. It doesn’t talk down to readers.
Just A Phrase I’m Going Through: My Life in Language
by David Crystal
Specialist bookshops only
The author is a world authority on the English language so you might expect a book telling his life story to be a bit dry. However, it’s anything but because it’s about the mistakes he’s made and it’s about a real man.
Off by Heart
edited by Daisy Goodwin
Scholastic, £7.99
I’m a great fan of poetry anthologies because they take people’s best work and put it all in one easily accessible volume. It’s also got poems that you can remember and say out loud. The perfect introduction to poetry.
Darwin’s Sacred Cause: How a Hatred of Slavery Shaped Darwin’s Views on Human Evolution
by Adrian Desmond and James Moore
Allen Lane, £25
This is special because while everyone knows about Darwin very few people know about the anti-slavery stance he took in his life. He was years ahead of his time in this respect.
Chinese Whispers: The True Story Behind Britain’s Hidden Army of Labour
by Hsiao-Hung Pai
Penguin, £8.99
A fascinating book about the hidden Chinese workers who slave away in appalling conditions in the restaurant business and similar trades in modern Britain for a pittance. Shocking stuff.
Laureate’s Block and Other Occasional Poems
by Tony Harrison
Out of print
I think Tony is Britain’s greatest living poet. He’s got no ego, is educated but is not pompous and is able to mix the language of the street with the classics without making it sound pretentious. I thoroughly recommend it.
