Yoghurt and Jame or How My Mother Became Lebanese

Lena Merhej’s graphic memoir Yoghurt and Jam is set in Lebanon, where tradition pairs yoghurt with cucumber and salt. Discovering how her mother likes her yoghurt sparks a captivating exploration of what led her mother from Germany to Lebanon, as well as triggering Lena’s quest for self-discovery. Blending humour with poignant reflections, Lena delves into her mother’s life as a doctor during the Lebanese Civil War, challenging East-West clichés and embracing the complexities of hybrid identity. (Winner of English Pen Award)

About the Author

Lena Merhej is a visual storyteller and an expert in graphic narration. Lena has taught at several universities in Beirut. She is the founder and director of the Story Center, which offers professional training in animation, illustration, and comic books.

Lena was the director of the Beirut Animated Festival, and worked with Tosh Fesh to promote comics and animation in Arab countries. She has illustrated over twenty-five Arabic children’s books and has exhibited her work both locally and internationally. Her animated Drawing the War (2002), her comic book Kamen Sine (Another year, 2009) and her book Murabba wa laban (Yoghurt and Jam) won international awards. She is a co-founder and a member of Samandal, an award-winning comics organization in Lebanon.

About the Translator

Nadiyah Abdullatif is a Mauritius-born, Scotland-based editor and translator working from Arabic, French, Mauritian Creole and Spanish into English. Her translations of Arabic and Mauritian literature, including comics and graphic novel excerpts, have appeared in Wasafiri, ArabLit Quarterly and The Markaz Review. She has previously been a translator-in-residence with the National Centre for Writing and has worked as a copy editor for Asymptote.

Anam Zafar translates from Arabic and French to English and holds an MA in Applied Translation Studies from the University of Leeds. She won the 2021 Gulf Coast Prize in Translation, the inaugural Stinging Fly New Translator’s Bursary, and was longlisted for the 2021 John Dryden Translation Competition. She was also a 2021 ALTA Virtual Travel Fellow. She has collaborated with the National Centre for Writing as translator in residence and Emerging Translators Mentee, and appeared at the Bila Hudood: Arabic Literature Everywhere festival. She volunteers for World Kid Lit and The Linguist’s Editorial Board. Her translations have been published by ArabLit Quarterly, Gulf Coast, The Markaz Review and The Stinging Fly, among others.