Xochitl Gonzalez Explained

Xochitl Gonzalez
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York
Notable Works:Olga Dies Dreaming

Xochitl Gonzalez (;[1] [2] born 1977) is an American writer, screenwriter, and producer. In 2022, she published her debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming which became a New York Times Best Seller on January 30, 2022.[3]

In 2021, she began writing the newsletter "Brooklyn, Everywhere" for The Atlantic.[4] In 2023, she joined The Atlantic as a staff writer and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work there.[5]

Early life and education

Gonzalez was born in New York City to a second-generation Puerto Rican mother and Mexican-American father and raised by her grandparents[6] in the area between Bensonhurst and Borough Park.[7] Her parents were activists in the Socialist Workers Party, where her mother was a union organizer who ran for office in the Socialist Workers Party.

Gonzalez attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and earned a scholarship to Brown University.[8] At Brown she intended to study creative writing but ultimately majored in art history.[9] Reflecting on her time at the university, Gonzalez wrote, "Brown was only four hours by car, a lifetime by way of cultural journey. I had dreamt for years of escaping the concrete of Brooklyn for reasons I couldn't really ever put my finger on."[10] Gonzalez graduated from Brown with a Bachelor of Arts in 1999.

Gonzalez was inspired to become a professional writer after the death of her grandmother in 2017, with the sale of her grandmother's home helping to fund her writing efforts.[11]

Gonzalez worked as an entrepreneur and consultant for a number of years before earning her MFA from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2021.[12] In June 2022, Gonzalez was elected a trustee of Brown University.[13]

Gonzalez was named a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary for her work writing the newsletter Brooklyn, Everywhere.

Career

Olga Dies Dreaming

See main article: Olga Dies Dreaming. In 2022, Gonzalez published Olga Dies Dreaming, her debut novel. The novel was in part inspired by her past career as a wedding planner for the ultra-rich in New York City following the 2008 recession. The book was received positively in reviews by Ron Charles for The Washington Post and Shannon Melero for Jezebel.[14] [15] Kirkus Reviews called the book "atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut."[16] Gonzalez is currently writing and co-executive producing[17] alongside filmmaker Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, a pilot for a drama based on the novel produced by Hulu and starring Aubrey Plaza and Ramon Rodriguez.[18] [19]

Other works

In 2024, her follow-up novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last was published. The novel largely received positive reviews,[20] with NPR writing that "Gonzalez's second novel brilliantly surpasses the promise of her popular debut Olga Dies Dreaming".[21] The novel follows college student Raquel Toro as she discovers the art of Anita de Monte, a character based on the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta.[22] Gonzalez claimed that she visited a location supposedly haunted by Mendieta, and was visited by a spirit of the artist, who posthumously encouraged her story to be told.

Bibliography

Novels

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Xochitl Gonzalez. www.xochitlgonzalez.com.
  2. Web site: In Conversation with Xochitl Gonzalez. June 20, 2022.
  3. Web site: "Olga Dies Dreaming" and "War Against All Puerto Ricans" are the same book. April 10, 2023.
  4. Web site: 2021-11-02 . The Atlantic Introduces Suite of Newsletters for Subscribers . 2023-05-12 . The Atlantic . en.
  5. Web site: Commentary . February 12, 2024 . The Pulitzer Prizes.
  6. Web site: Gonzalez . Xochitl . April 12, 2024 . Amanda Knox and Mary Murphy . Xochitl Gonzalez, class of 1999 . 2024-06-17 . Pembroke Center Oral History Project . en-US . Interview.
  7. Web site: Gonzalez. Xochitl. 2014-08-26. Made In Brooklyn: What's the Essence of the Borough That's Become an Adjective?. 2022-01-05. Medium. en.
  8. Book: Gonzalez, Xochitl . Olga dies dreaming . 2022 . 978-0-349-72668-7 . 1 . New York . 1246141315.
  9. Web site: 2022-01-04. From poor kid to elite wedding planner to debut author: Xochitl Gonzalez feels 'divine'. 2022-01-05. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  10. Web site: Gonzalez. Xochitl. 2020-09-11. Good-bye to Century 21, the Store Where I Grew Up. 2022-01-05. The Cut. en-us.
  11. Web site: González-Ramírez . Andrea . 2024-03-04 . Xochitl Gonzalez's Ghost Story . 2024-03-11 . The Cut . en.
  12. Web site: Read The First Pages Of A Rising Literary Star's First Novel Before Its Release. 2022-01-05. Bustle. 29 April 2021 . en.
  13. Web site: Brown Corporation elects two new fellows, eight trustees . 2022-06-07 . Brown University . en.
  14. News: Review Say 'I do' to Xochitl Gonzalez's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'. en-US. Washington Post. 2022-01-05. 0190-8286.
  15. Web site: Xochitl Gonzalez's Debut Novel Is a Pivotal Examination of Puerto Ricanness. 2022-01-05. Jezebel. 4 January 2022 . en-us.
  16. Book: OLGA DIES DREAMING Kirkus Reviews. en.
  17. Web site: Zorrilla. Mónica Marie. 2021-04-29. Hulu Orders Nuyorican Sibling Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming' With Xochitl Gonzalez and Alfonso Gómez-Rejón Producing. 2022-01-05. Variety. en-US.
  18. Web site: Otterson. Joe. 2021-08-02. Aubrey Plaza to Star in Hulu Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming'. 2022-01-05. Variety. en-US.
  19. Web site: Goldberg. Lesley. 2021-08-04. Ramon Rodriguez Joins Aubrey Plaza in Hulu's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'. 2022-01-05. The Hollywood Reporter. en-US.
  20. Web site: Book Marks reviews of Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez . April 16, 2024 . Book Marks . en-US.
  21. News: Bell . Carole V. . March 6, 2024 . 'Anita de Monte Laughs Last' is a complex dissection of art, gender and marriage . . 2024-03-11.
  22. News: Korelitz . Jean Hanff . Jean Hanff Korelitz . 2024-03-04 . Inspired by a Real Mystery, This Novel Skewers the Art World . 2024-03-11 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  23. News: Korelitz . Jean Hanff . 2024-03-04 . Inspired by a Real Mystery, This Novel Skewers the Art World . 2024-03-18 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.