Paul Mendez

Paul Mendez (born in 1982)[1] is a Black British author based in London. He wrote the 2020 semi-autobiographical novel, Rainbow Milk.[2][3][4]

Biography

Mendez was born in the West Midlands to a second generation Jamaican-British family. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness.[1] He was kicked out of his parents' house when he was seventeen and moved to Tonbridge to study engineering at the University of Greenwich. He dropped out after nine months but remained in Kent before moving to Birmingham in 2002. He moved to London in 2004 and became a sex worker.[5]

In 2012, he met Sharmaine Lovegrove at a party and when she became a publisher at Dialogue Books, Mendez sent her the manuscript which would become his debut novel, Rainbow Milk.[5]

He is studying for an MA in Black British Writing from Goldsmiths.[6] He lives in Hampstead with his partner Alan Hollinghurst.[6]

References
  1. White, Ryan (17 April 2020). "The debut novelist behind a powerful new story of race, religion and sex". i-D.
  2. Leuzzi, Tony (9 March 2021). "Paul Mendez's Rainbow Milk". The Brooklyn Rail.
  3. Grant, Colin (9 May 2020). "Rainbow Milk by Paul Mendez review – a fearless debut". The Guardian.
  4. Novakovic, Rastko (February 2021). "Interview with Paul Mendez". The White Review.
  5. Stichbury, Thomas (2 July 2020). "Meet author Paul Mendez, one of the most exciting voices on the queer literary scene". Attitude.co.uk.
  6. Law, Katie (28 April 2020). "From Jehovah's Witness to gay sex worker to novelist: the extraordinary life story of Paul Mendez". Evening Standard.


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