Lillian T. Africano

Lillian Africano, an internationally-known travel writer and author who lived for many years in Deal until a recent relocation to Long Branch, died Tuesday, Sept. 20 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center from Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She was  87.

Ms. Africano was a past president of the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers' Association (IFWTWA) and the Society of American Travel Writers, for whom she produced The New York Times Travel Show at the Javits Center for many years.

Born Layla Tabeek on June 7, 1935 in Paterson, she was a daughter of the late Nadwa Gorab and John Tabeek, both Syrian immigrants. 

She grew up in Union City where she met and married Arthur Africano, her sweetheart at Emerson High School where she was valedictorian of the class of 1953.  She won a scholarship to Douglass College at Rutgers University, then transferred to Barnard College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in History in 1957. She was the first person in her family to attend college.

A devoted mother of three children, Ms. Africano launched her writing career following a divorce. As a single mother, she raised her family in Greenwich Village while juggling multiple freelance assignments, mostly from home. Her first part-time job was writing theater reviews for the Villager newspaper for $5 a story. Later, she covered theater for the Asbury Park Press.

Ms. Africano was also an advice columnist. Her “Dear Lillian” column ran in Woman’s World magazine for many years.

During her long career, she wrote more than 20 books, both fiction and nonfiction. To research her first book, The Businessman's Guide to the Middle East, she traveled to Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Abu Dhabi and the Gulf States. She was ghostwriter to Princess Ashraf Pahlavi of Iran for the memoir, Faces in the Mirror.

Other books that Ms. Africano ghosted or co-authored include Gone from Breezy Hill, Temptations, Obsessions, Mirage, and Nadia’s Song with Soheir Khashoggi.

Her first novel, Something Old, Something New reflected her love of Manhattan apartments. Her most recent book was Dumped, Deserted, Divorced --The Club, which is available on Kindle.

Ms. Africano co-authored three books with her daughter, Nina Africano: The Insiders' Guide to the Jersey Shore, Off the Beaten Path--New York, You Know You're in New Jersey When...

She travelled throughout Europe, visited Russia and Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, the Caribbean and many other locations. She especially loved cruises. When on assignment, she embraced adventure, from swimming in the freezing waters off Antarctica to riding at high speeds in a race car at the Richard Petty School. She continued to work as a travel writer and book author into her eighties.

Ms. Africano is survived by her sister, Rosemarie Sbaratta of Boston; her three children, David Africano and his wife Emmie of Norwalk, Conn.; Arthur Africano and his fiancée Mindy Farabee of Bronx, NY; and Nina Africano and her husband Andrew Hassard of Interlaken; one grandson, Anthony; and a granddog, Jack.

A service will be held at Buckley’s Funeral Home, Asbury Park on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 4-6pm. She will be buried next to her mother in Fair Lawn Cemetery in a private service. 

Flowers are welcome as are donations to the Jersey Shore Arts Center in Neptune.