Gonzalo Lira

Who is Gonzalo Lira?

Gonzalo Lira is an American novelist, filmmaker and economic blogger born in Burbank, California

He is the son of Gonzalo Lira Valdés and María Isabel López Hess; he is a direct descendant of José Miguel Carrera, and related by birth to numerous Chilean politicians, diplomats and industrialists. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, New York City, and Miami, as well as Guayaquil, Ecuador. He completed high school at St. George’s College in Santiago, Chile, in 1985. He attended Dartmouth College in 1991, graduating with honors in 1995, with a degree in history and philosophy.

His first novel was Counterparts, a commercial thriller published in 1997. His first Spanish language novel was Tomáh Errázurih, a highly experimental coming-of-age story published in 1998.

After moving to lower Manhattan in 1998, Lira wrote, produced, and directed a comic short film, So Kinky. He worked developing video games such as Soldier of Fortune. He wrote his next novel, Acrobat, in 2002. The novel was subsequently purchased by Miramax to be turned into a motion picture. In 2002, he moved to Chile. He began writing and producing Spanish language feature films. He co-wrote, produced and directed the film Catalina’s Kidnapping, a Spanish language thriller in 2006.