Picture a Brooklyn-based storyteller who spun a provocative tale of academia and desire with her debut novel—meet Julia May Jonas! A playwright, theater director, and professor, Jonas burst onto the literary scene with Vladimir, a novel that crackles with wit and moral complexity. Her work, rooted in her theatrical roots, explores power, gender, and the messy contradictions of human hearts.
With a knack for crafting complex characters and charged dialogue, Jonas brings a fresh, feminist lens to contemporary fiction. Whether she’s directing avant-garde plays or penning novels, her storytelling captivates, making her a rising star in both theater and literature.
The Making of Julia May Jonas
Jonas’s journey began at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she initially trained as an actor before pivoting to experimental theater. Her passion for storytelling deepened at Columbia University, where she earned an MFA in playwriting. As the founder of Nellie Tinder, a theater company focused on musical and morally inquisitive works, Jonas honed her craft, blending movement, music, and text. Teaching theater at Skidmore College and NYU, she developed a keen eye for narrative structure and human dynamics, which later fueled her fiction.
Julia May Jonas’s Unforgettable Stories
Jonas’s debut novel, Vladimir (2022), is a bold exploration of desire and power in the #MeToo era. Set on a college campus, it follows a 58-year-old professor navigating her husband’s scandal and her own obsession with a younger colleague. The novel’s sharp, sensual prose and unreliable narrator earned praise from NPR, The Washington Post, and The Sunday Times, which called it a “twisty, sexy, shocking treat.”
Her playwriting is equally compelling. Works like Evelyn, an operatic fever-dream about a film star in a mysterious facility, and Your Own Personal Exegesis, part of her All Long True American Stories cycle, showcase her experimental style. These plays, often produced with Nellie Tinder, challenge traditional forms and gender roles, reimagining male-centric American classics through a feminist lens.
Jonas’s writing is marked by formalist precision and emotional depth. Her theatrical background infuses her prose with rhythmic dialogue and vivid scenes, while her themes—aging, femininity, and moral ambiguity—resonate with modern readers. She’s currently working on her second novel, promising more provocative storytelling.
Why Julia May Jonas Matters
Jonas’s impact lies in her ability to upend assumptions. Vladimir tackles thorny issues like consent and aging with nuance, sparking conversations about power dynamics in academia and beyond. Her plays, lauded by Time Out New York for their “supremely balanced weirdness,” push theatrical boundaries, inspiring audiences to rethink gender and morality. As a professor, she empowers students to find their voices, shaping the next generation of storytellers.
With a Netflix adaptation of Vladimir starring Rachel Weisz in development, Jonas’s influence is growing. Her work bridges theater and literature, offering a bold, feminist perspective that’s both timely and timeless.
- Born: Not publicly available
- Key Works: Vladimir (novel, 2022), Evelyn (play), Your Own Personal Exegesis (play)
- Notable Recognition: Vladimir named a Best Book of 2022 by NPR, Time, and others
Snag Vladimir and dive into Julia May Jonas’s provocative, witty world of fiction and theater!