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Xochitl Gonzalez

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American novelist and producer
Xochitl Gonzalez
Born1977 (age 47–48)
Brooklyn, New York
Education
Notable worksOlga Dies Dreaming

Xochitl Gonzalez (/ˈsoʊtʃiːl/, SO-cheel; born 1977) is an American writer. In 2022, she published her debut novel Olga Dies Dreaming which became a New York Times Best Seller on January 30, 2022.

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

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 in the area between Bensonhurst and Borough Park. 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. At Brown she intended to study creative writing but ultimately majored in art history. 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." 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.

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. In June 2022, Gonzalez was elected a trustee of Brown University.

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

Career

Olga Dies Dreaming

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. Kirkus Reviews called the book "atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut." Gonzalez is currently writing and co-executive producing alongside filmmaker Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, a pilot for a drama based on the novel produced by Hulu and starring Aubrey Plaza and Ramon Rodriguez.

Other works

In 2024, her follow-up novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last was published. The novel largely received positive reviews, with NPR writing that "Gonzalez's second novel brilliantly surpasses the promise of her popular debut Olga Dies Dreaming". 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. 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

References

  1. "Xochitl Gonzalez". www.xochitlgonzalez.com.
  2. "In Conversation with Xochitl Gonzalez". June 20, 2022.
  3. ""Olga Dies Dreaming" and "War Against All Puerto Ricans" are the same book". April 10, 2023.
  4. "The Atlantic Introduces Suite of Newsletters for Subscribers". The Atlantic. 2021-11-02. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  5. "Commentary". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  6. Gonzalez, Xochitl (April 12, 2024). "Xochitl Gonzalez, class of 1999". Pembroke Center Oral History Project (Interview). Amanda Knox and Mary Murphy. Retrieved 2024-06-17.
  7. Gonzalez, Xochitl (2014-08-26). "Made In Brooklyn: What's the Essence of the Borough That's Become an Adjective?". Medium. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  8. ^ Gonzalez, Xochitl (2020-09-11). "Good-bye to Century 21, the Store Where I Grew Up". The Cut. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  9. Gonzalez, Xochitl (2022). Olga dies dreaming (1 ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-349-72668-7. OCLC 1246141315.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ^ "From poor kid to elite wedding planner to debut author: Xochitl Gonzalez feels 'divine'". Los Angeles Times. 2022-01-04. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  11. ^ González-Ramírez, Andrea (2024-03-04). "Xochitl Gonzalez's Ghost Story". The Cut. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  12. "Read The First Pages Of A Rising Literary Star's First Novel Before Its Release". Bustle. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  13. "Brown Corporation elects two new fellows, eight trustees". Brown University. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  14. "Review | Say 'I do' to Xochitl Gonzalez's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  15. "Xochitl Gonzalez's Debut Novel Is a Pivotal Examination of Puerto Ricanness". Jezebel. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  16. OLGA DIES DREAMING | Kirkus Reviews.
  17. Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (2021-04-29). "Hulu Orders Nuyorican Sibling Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming' With Xochitl Gonzalez and Alfonso Gómez-Rejón Producing". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  18. Otterson, Joe (2021-08-02). "Aubrey Plaza to Star in Hulu Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  19. Goldberg, Lesley (2021-08-04). "Ramon Rodriguez Joins Aubrey Plaza in Hulu's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-01-05.
  20. "Book Marks reviews of Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez". Book Marks. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  21. Bell, Carole V. (March 6, 2024). "'Anita de Monte Laughs Last' is a complex dissection of art, gender and marriage". NPR. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  22. Korelitz, Jean Hanff (2024-03-04). "Inspired by a Real Mystery, This Novel Skewers the Art World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  23. Korelitz, Jean Hanff (2024-03-04). "Inspired by a Real Mystery, This Novel Skewers the Art World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-03-18.

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