Despite the controversy between the two men, Prime Minister François Legault was keen to congratulate author Kevin Lambert for having obtained the Médicis Prize for his book Let our joy remain.
“Congratulations to Kevin Lambert for the Medici Prize, a very nice distinction. Congratulations also for the December Prize, the youngest writer to receive this honour,” the Prime Minister wrote on X on Thursday.
Remember that a few months ago, François Legault wrote on Facebook that the latest novel by the author from Saguenay was a “nuanced critique of the Quebec bourgeoisie” in which “pressure groups and journalists look for scapegoats to the housing crisis in Montreal”.
The main person concerned did not appreciate this interpretation of his work and sharply criticized the Prime Minister under its publication.
A few days after receiving the Décembre en France prize, Quebec author Kevin Lambert received the Médicis prize on Thursday for his novel Que notre joie remain.
Its publishing house in Quebec, Héliotrope, and that in France, Le Nouvel Attila, confirmed the news on social networks Thursday morning.
This was the third time that Lambert was nominated for this award. His novels “You will love what you have killed” and “Querelle de Roberval” were respectively finalist and first selection.
Let our joy remain, a novel which deals with the excesses of the ruling class and gentrification in Montreal, has carved out a place of choice in the nominations for literary prizes in France in recent months.
On October 31, the 31-year-old author became the youngest writer to win the December Prize in France. This award, described as “the anti-Goncourt,” comes with a purse of 15,000 euros (nearly $22,100).
“Let our joy remain” was also in the first selection for the prestigious Prix Goncourt, but it was not selected for the second selection.
