Thélyson Orélien’s novel C’était ça ou mourir had become one of France’s biggest literary success stories before allegations about its creation pushed the book off the Prix Goncourt longlist.
The Académie Goncourt removed the novel from consideration after claims that it was “almost entirely” written by artificial intelligence and involved plagiarism. Orélien denies using AI and says he is preparing evidence to show that he wrote the book himself.
A bestselling novel faces a sudden setback
Published in France by Grasset in August 2026, C’était ça ou mourir has sold about 35,000 copies in France. The book is described as Boreal’s biggest seller in 60 years, while its translation rights have been sold to more than 20 countries. The novel is due to be translated into around 20 languages.
Those figures made the Goncourt longlist removal especially striking. The Prix Goncourt is one of France’s best-known literary prizes, and appearing on its longlist can bring major attention to a book. In this case, the decision came after questions about both the novel’s authorship and its originality.
An anonymous account called Balance ton Claude said it had fed the novel into Pangram, an AI detection software tool. The account claimed that several passages from different parts of the manuscript produced the same result: “100 percent AI.” It described the book as “almost entirely” AI-generated.
Samuel Fitoussi, a columnist and member of Balance ton Claude, is connected to the account named in the allegations. The claims have not been confirmed by Orélien’s publisher, Le Éditions du Boréal, which said it was impossible to confirm or refute the allegations facing the author.
Orélien rejects the AI claim
Orélien said he used traditional language and rhythms that were Haitian and Caribbean. He described the imagery, repetition and rhythm in the novel as a living language that belonged to him.
“I’ve always loved creating and writing. I don’t see why I would use a machine,” Orélien said. He also stated: “The imagery, repetition and rhythm are a living language, they are mine.”
In another version of his response, Orélien said: “I have always loved creation and literature. I can’t see why I would feel compelled to use a machine.” He added: “The images, the repetitions and the rhythms are the living word, they are my own.”
The author said he was “in the process of putting together a file” to prove he wrote the book himself. The first draft dates back to 2019, giving the dispute a clear point of focus as Orélien works to document how the novel was created.
Orélien was born in 1988 in Gonaives, Haiti, and moved to Montreal in 2010. His debut work consisted mainly of poetic texts, and he worked as a journalist in Canada before the success of C’était ça ou mourir.
Plagiarism claims add another layer
The AI allegations are not the only issue surrounding the novel. The Académie Goncourt also referred to “plagiarisms of which its author has been guilty over time” when explaining the decision.
French newspaper Libération alleged that Orélien plagiarized an award-winning short story from the preface of Louis Pauwels’ book The Morning of the Magicians. That allegation places the controversy beyond the question of AI detection and into the separate issue of whether parts of the book resemble earlier writing too closely.
The Académie Goncourt said its decision was “driven by the desire to preserve the integrity of the Goncourt prize and the academy itself”. Philippe Claudel is the academy’s president.
Le Éditions du Boréal has suspended promotional activities for the book to ensure Orélien’s well-being. The publisher’s position leaves the central questions open: whether AI played a role in the novel’s writing and whether plagiarism occurred.
For now, the novel remains a major commercial success with international plans attached to it, but its prize campaign has ended. Orélien’s promised file may become the next important part of the story as he tries to establish how C’était ça ou mourir came to be.
Based on
- Novelist accused of using AI to write book removed from French prize list — theguardian.com
- Canadian-Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien stripped from Prix Goncourt longlist after AI claims – France 24 — france24.com
- Quebec author dropped from Goncourt amid AI, plagiarism allegations – Montreal | Globalnews.ca — globalnews.ca
- Thélyson Orélien: French uproar over author accused of using AI — bbc.com
