Elena: A Hand Made Life

Lives were bent in the furnaces of the twentieth century, but Granny was unbroken. With a stethoscope, a jar of herring and a hearing aid occasionally switched on, she forged an extraordinary life. Dr Elena Zadik ran through the twentieth century without looking back.  A refugee twice before she was 17, a GP in the NHS from 1948 to her retirement, Elena was an unintentionally hilarious woman, often difficult, always opinionated and deeply resourceful. Her hands were always busy and form the heart of this timely graphic story of the ordinary extraordinary resilience of women.  It brings with it an unfathomable power and richness. Come to this illustrated talk to hear more about Elena’s life and Miriam’s creative journey making this book.

Art teacher and graphic novelist Miriam Gold lives and works in London, where she was born. She won a place on the Emerging Writer Programme at the London Library with Elena: A Hand Made Life, her first book, a memoir/biography of her maternal grandmother.  An Observer Graphic Novel of the Month, it was also one of the Guardian‘s best of 2024, shortlisted for the Wingate Prize and longlisted for a World Illustration Award from the Association of Illustrators. She is currently working on her next book, also to be published by Jonathan Cape, a graphic novel set in Budapest in 1956 and London in 2024.