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Xochitl Gonzalez

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Xochitl Gonzalez
Gonzalez at the 2022 National Book Festival in Washington D.C.
Gonzalez at the 2022 National Book Festival in Washington D.C.
Born1977 (age 48–49)
Brooklyn, New York
Education
Notable worksOlga Dies Dreaming

Xochitl Gonzalez (/ˈsoʊtʃiːl/, SO-cheel;[1] born in 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.[2] In 2021, she started writing the newsletter "Brooklyn, Everywhere" for The Atlantic.[3] In 2023, she joined The Atlantic as a staff writer,[4] and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work at the magazine.[5]

Early life and education

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Gonzalez was born in New York City to a second-generation Puerto Rican mother and Mexican American father. However she grew up with her grandparents[6] in the area of the city between Bensonhurst and Borough Park in Brooklyn.[7] Her parents were union organizers and activists in the Socialist Workers Party. Her mother ran for office.[8]

Gonzalez attended Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn[9] and earned a scholarship to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.[10] At Brown, she intended to study creative writing but wound up majoring in art history.[10][8] Gonzalez graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1999.[11]

Gonzalez was inspired to become a professional writer after the death of her grandmother in 2017. The sale of her grandmother's home helped fund her writing efforts.[12] She worked as an entrepreneur and consultant for many years before earning her MFA degree from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2021.[13]

Career

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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 after the 2008 recession.[10] The book received a positive review 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 wrote and co-executive produced,[17] alongside filmmaker Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, a pilot for a drama based on the novel produced by Hulu. It starried Aubrey Plaza and Ramón Rodríguez.[18][19] Hulu did not pick up the series.[20]

In 2024, her follow-up novel Anita de Monte Laughs Last was published.[21] NPR said, "Gonzalez's second novel brilliantly surpasses the promise of her popular debut Olga Dies Dreaming."[22] The novel is about a college student, Raquel Toro, discovering the art of Anita de Monte, a character based on the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta.[21] 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.[12] Her 2022 essay "Why Do Rich People Love Quiet?" explored the relationship between class and noise and the desire of the wealthy to impose their norms on others.[23] It inspired a study at the University of Connecticut in Storrs which tracked the movements of Latine and white students on campus to measure their preference for noise.[24] In June 2022, she was elected a trustee of Brown University.[25]

Gonzalez was a 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary finalist for writing the newsletter Brooklyn, Everywhere.[12] In 2025, she coined the phrase "comfort class" referring to "people who were born into lives of financial stability" whose "disconnect from the lives of the majority has expanded to such a chasm that their perspective—and authority—may no longer be relevant."[26] In 2026 she published her third novel Last Night in Brooklyn.[27][28][29]

Bibliography

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Novels

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  • —— (2022). Olga Dies Dreaming. Flatiron Books. ISBN 9781250786173.
  • —— (2024). Anita de Monte Laughs Last. Flatiron Books. ISBN 9781250786210.
  • —— (2026). Last Night in Brooklyn. Flatiron Books. ISBN 9781250372031.

References

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  1. ↑ "In Conversation with Xochitl Gonzalez". Here We Read For Fun. June 20, 2022. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ Villoro, Elías (April 10, 2023). "'Olga Dies Dreaming' and 'War Against All Puerto Ricans' are the same book". Boing Boing.
  3. ↑ "The Atlantic Introduces Suite of Newsletters for Subscribers". The Atlantic. November 2, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic". The Atlantic. February 5, 2026. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  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 June 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ Gonzalez, Xochitl (August 26, 2014). "Made In Brooklyn: What's the Essence of the Borough That's Become an Adjective?". Medium. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Gonzalez, Xochitl (September 11, 2020). "Good-bye to Century 21, the Store Where I Grew Up". The Cut. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  9. ↑ Gonzalez, Xochitl (November 16, 2022). "Why Is College the Only Answer?". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 Pineda, Dorany (January 4, 2022). "From poor kid to elite wedding planner to debut author: Xochitl Gonzalez feels 'divine'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  11. ↑ "An Evening with Xochitl Gonzalez '99 on". The Brown University Club in New York. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 González-Ramírez, Andrea (March 4, 2024). "Xochitl Gonzalez's Ghost Story". The Cut. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  13. ↑ Colyard, K.W. (April 29, 2021). "Read The First Pages Of A Rising Literary Star's First Novel Before Its Release". Bustle. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  14. ↑ Charles, Ron (January 4, 2022). "Review | Say 'I do' to Xochitl Gonzalez's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  15. ↑ Melero, Shannon (January 4, 2022). "Xochitl Gonzalez's Debut Novel Is a Pivotal Examination of Puerto Ricanness". Jezebel. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  16. ↑ "OLGA DIES DREAMING". Kirkus Reviews. September 28, 2021.
  17. ↑ Zorrilla, Mónica Marie (April 29, 2021). "Hulu Orders Nuyorican Sibling Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming' With Xochitl Gonzalez and Alfonso Gómez-Rejón Producing". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ Otterson, Joe (August 2, 2021). "Aubrey Plaza to Star in Hulu Drama Pilot 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (August 4, 2021). "Ramon Rodriguez Joins Aubrey Plaza in Hulu's 'Olga Dies Dreaming'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  20. ↑ Rico, Jack (February 10, 2023). "Hulu Passes on Olga Dies Dreaming". ShowBizCafe.com. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Korelitz, Jean Hanff (March 4, 2024). "Inspired by a Real Mystery, This Novel Skewers the Art World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  22. ↑ Bell, Carole V. (March 6, 2024). "'Anita de Monte Laughs Last' is a complex dissection of art, gender and marriage". NPR. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  23. ↑ Gonzalez, Xochitl (August 1, 2022). "Why Do Rich People Love Quiet?". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  24. ↑ Phillips, Kimberly (December 23, 2024). "'Let's Get Loud:' New Study Says Latine Individuals Seek Noisier Experiences Based on Culture". UConn Today. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Brown Corporation elects two new fellows, eight trustees". Brown University. June 1, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  26. ↑ Gonzalez, Xochitl (April 6, 2025). "What the Comfort Class Doesn't Get". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  27. ↑ Spratford, Sam (June 6, 2025). "Flatiron Picks Up Two New Books by Xochitl Gonzalez". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ Miller, Stuart (April 25, 2026). "How Xochitl Gonzalez created a Gatsby-inspired 'Last Night in Brooklyn'". Orange County Register. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Xochitl Gonzalez's Favorite Books Are the Ones She Gives Away". The New York Times. April 30, 2026. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
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