The Things That Matter

Louis-Jacques takes you along a path less travelled. Along the way, you’ll encounter transitions, global weirding, fragility, consumerism, and the changing milieu. You’ll be left questioning how you will measure your life, and what your legacy will be.

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The Alpine Review does not have small ambitions, but then neither does its publisher and editor, Louis-Jacques Darveau. It is a compendium of ideas for a world in transition, a survey of things to hold on to in an uncertain and unstable world. It is a magazine that steps back from the chaos of every day to make sense of how we got here and to make sense of where we’re going.

The story of its birth is a very personal one, entangled with Louis-Jacques’ search for meaning following the global economic collapse of 2008. Fleeing life as a lawyer and then corporate fixer, he was profoundly inspired by Nassim Taleb’s concept of antifragility, in which things only gain strength as they absorb shock and stress. 

With no experience in publishing, he and co-editor Patrick Tanguay improvised their way towards a magazine, turning a frenzy of interconnected ideas and questions into something that is equal parts beautiful, intelligent and vital. With its first two annual issues, the magazine has built a loyal global following of readers who had been asking the same questions and seeking similar answers.

As well as The Alpine Review, Louis-Jacques heads up Totem, a service design and content agency where he takes everything he has learned on his journey and uses it to help large North American corporations deal with their own issues around complexity, meaning and trust.

Louis-Jacques divides his time between Montréal and Toronto, though he’ll take any opportunity to tell you he prefers his hometown of Quebec City.