Kevin Lambert Explained

Kevin Lambert
Birth Date:1992
Birth Place:Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada
Occupation:writer
Language:French
Alma Mater:Université de Montréal
Notable Works:Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué, Querelle de Roberval
Years Active:2010s-present

Kevin Lambert (born 1992) is a Canadian writer from Quebec.[1] He is most noted for his novel Querelle de Roberval, which won the Prix Ringuet in 2019.[2]

Originally from the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec, Lambert moved to Montreal in his late teens to study literature at the Université de Montréal.[1] He published his debut novel Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué in 2017,[3] and followed up with Querelle de Roberval in 2018.[4] In addition to the Prix Ringuet, Querelle de Roberval won the Prix Sade[5] and the Prix Oeuvre de la relève à Montréal,[6] and was shortlisted for the Prix littéraire des collégiens.[7]

Biblioasis has published English translations of both of his novels, with You Will Love What You Have Killed published in 2020,[1] and Querelle of Roberval released in 2022.[8] The translated version of Querelle of Roberval was a finalist for the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize,[9] and won the 2023 ReLit Award for fiction.[10]

Lambert is out as gay.[11] Querelle de Roberval is partially based on Jean Genet's 1947 novel Querelle of Brest (Querelle de Brest).[12]

He published his third novel, Que notre joie demeure, in 2022.[13] The novel was named to the initial longlist for the 2023 Prix Goncourt.[14] Following the nomination, the novel sparked some controversy in France because Lambert was open about having had the novel vetted by a sensitivity reader prior to publication as it featured a key character of Haitian descent, with previous Goncourt winner Nicolas Mathieu criticizing the practice as stifling to a writer's creative liberty.[15] The novel was subsequently named the winner of the Prix Médicis[16] and the Prix Ringuet.[17]

May Our Joy Endure, an English translation of Que notre joie demeure, is slated for publication in fall 2024.[18]

Notes and References

  1. Christopher DiRaddo, "A thrilling debut novel takes revenge on smalltown homophobia". Xtra!, September 28, 2020.
  2. Nathalie Collard, "Kevin Lambert et Rachel Graton récompensés par l’Académie des lettres du Québec". La Presse, November 21, 2019.
  3. Dominic Tardif, "Pour en finir avec Chicoutimi". Le Devoir, April 8, 2017.
  4. Chantal Guy, "Querelle de Roberval: le goût du meurtre". La Presse, September 26, 2018.
  5. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/premiere/emissions/style-libre/segments/entrevue/135949/litterature-querelle-roberval-kevin-lambert-livre-salon "Kevin Lambert remporte le prix Sade en France"
  6. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/05/28/kevin-lambert-prime-pour-son-roman-querelle-de-roberval "Kevin Lambert primé pour son roman «Querelle de Roberval»"
  7. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1163982/prix-litteraire-collegiens-tatouin-jean-christophe-rehel "Prix littéraire : les collégiens choisissent Ce qu’on respire sur Tatouine"
  8. Ian McGillis, "Querelle of Roberval a homage to the works of Jean Genet". The Globe and Mail, October 4, 2022.
  9. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/article-two-translated-titles-among-finalists-for-60000-atwood-gibson-writers/ "Two translated titles among finalists for $60,000 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize"
  10. https://quillandquire.com/omni/2023-relit-awards-winners-announced/ "2023 ReLit Awards winners announced"
  11. Samuel Larochelle, "Kevin Lambert met le feu au Lac-Saint-Jean". Fugues, October 22, 2018.
  12. Dominic Tardif, "Les nouveaux mâles de la littérature québécoise". Le Devoir, September 29, 2018.
  13. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/il-restera-toujours-culture/segments/entrevue/413691/kevin-lambert-que-notre-joie-demeure "Que notre joie demeure, de Kevin Lambert : incursion chez les classes dominantes"
  14. Vicky Fragasso-Marquis, "Quebec author Kevin Lambert in contention for prestigious Prix Goncourt award". CBC News, September 5, 2023.
  15. Thomas Macdonald, "Quebec author at heart of controversy in France over 'sensitivity reading'". Toronto Star, September 25, 2023.
  16. Chantal Guy, "Notre joie récompensée". La Presse, November 9, 2023.
  17. Mickaël Meunier, "Kevin Lambert lauréat du prix Ringuet pour son livre Que notre joie demeure". Le Soleil, October 19, 2023.
  18. Ben Sigurdson, "A thrilling look ahead: Fall books season promises another full slate of engaging fiction and non-fiction". Winnipeg Free Press, August 3, 2024.