Vicki Laveau-Harvie

In Vicki Laveau-Harvie’s Stella Prize–winning memoir The Erratics, two sisters reckon with the convalescence and death of their outlandishly tyrannical mother and the care of their psychologically terrorised father. Darkly comic and savagely honest, The Erratics possesses the tightly coiled, compressed energy of an explosive device. A debut author in her 70s, Vicki Laveau-Harvie talks with ABC’s Ange Lavoipierre about this true story set against the natural beauty of remote Canada, which shatters precedents of grief, anger and family trauma with surprising tenderness and humour. This podcast is available on all major podcast platforms.

Vicki Laveau-Harvie (Australian)

Vicki Laveau-Harvie was born in Canada and lived for many years in France before settling in Australia. She has three passports and treasures the unique perspective this quirk of fate affords her. In France, she worked as a translator and a business editor, despite being a specialist in 18th century French literature. In Sydney, she lectured in French Studies at Macquarie University. After retiring, she taught ethics in a primary school. She has won prizes for her short fiction and poetry. Her memoir, The Erratics, won the 2019 Stella Prize, was shortlisted for the 2019 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and was awarded the 2018 Finch Memoir Prize. Vicki lives in Sydney.

Ange Lavoipierre (Australian)

Ange Lavoipierre is a journalist, writer and comedian. She’s the host of the ABC’s daily news & current affairs podcast The Signal and a regular contributor on Radio National, ABC radio Sydney and Double J. She’s currently touring her award-winning stand up show Zealot to comedy festivals around Australia and internationally. She’s one half of the comedy web series Impostors.