Eve Lambert
From Worst to Best
Born in Chicoutimi, Eve Lambert began her literary career in 2017 at age 25 with Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué. The debut novel achieved major success, was published in France and was later translated into English. It already received extensive praise and a few significant literary awards. Set in a sinister, morbid version of Chicoutimi, the novel adopts hatred as a literary tone and fiercely attacks the xenophobia and homophobia that still rage in Québec.
Eve Lambert holds a master’s degree and doctorate in creative writing from the Université de Montréal. Her thesis on the creative process in the work of Victor-Lévy Beaulieu won the Université de Montréal’s award for best thesis in arts and humanities. Known before her gender transition by her birth name, Kevin Lambert, she has said that she wants her work to participate in a movement of gay affirmation. ‘I like being part of the LGBTQ category,’ she says.
Writers are known to sometimes write under the influence of drugs or alcohol. By her own admission, Eve Lambert sometimes writes under the influence of anxiety. ‘I tend to imagine the worst that could happen,’ she confides. ‘In the opening scene of my novel Querelle, I imagined my boyfriend, who wasn’t yet officially my boyfriend at the time, screwing a bunch of other guys. I didn’t censor myself; I went completely wild. When I write, I’m not necessarily in a state of well-being, even if there’s something liberating in letting our imagination run wild. There’s a kind of ecstasy in freeing ourselves from our anxieties.’
Since 2018, she has published three further novels, Querelle de Roberval, Que notre joie demeure and Les sentiers de neige, all of which also appeared in France. The record confirms her as a prolific author and recipient of the most prestigious awards, including the renowned Prix Médicis in 2023.
In 2023, she adapted Marie-Claire Blais’s novel Un cœur habité de mille voix for the stage. The production premiered at Espace Go in April 2024 and drew widespread praise for its bold theatrical portrayal of an aging gay man’s life.