Quebec author Kevin Lambert is in the running for a prestigious French literary prize. Quebec's provincial flag flies in Ottawa, Friday, July 3, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
MONTREAL – Quebec author Kevin Lambert is in the running for a prestigious French literary prize.
The young writer from Saguenay, Que., is on the list of contenders for the Prix Goncourt for his latest novel, “Que notre joie demeure.”
The list will be shortened to eight and then four titles before the prize is awarded in November.
Lambert’s third novel centres on the excesses of the ruling class and gentrification in Montreal.
The book’s profile – and its sales – have increased in recent months after it sparked an online quarrel between the author and Quebec Premier François Legault.
Legault published a short review of the book on social media and was rebuked by Lambert, who accused him of failing to understand the novel’s message at a time when the province is in the midst of a housing crisis.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 5, 2023.
