Goncourt Drops Orélien Novel Over AI-Writing Claims

The Académie Goncourt removed Thélyson Orélien's debut novel from the Prix Goncourt longlist over AI and plagiarism claims the author denies.

France's most prestigious literary prize has pulled its most talked-about contender. On Friday, the Académie Goncourt confirmed it removed Haitian-Canadian writer Thélyson Orélien's debut novel *C'était ça ou mourir* (*It Was That or Die*) from the Prix Goncourt longlist, citing the need to "preserve the integrity of the Goncourt prize and the academy itself." The academy said the move was meant to send a clear message that it does "not endorse or condone in any way the creation of texts generated with the help of AI." The Guardian reports the decision came after an anonymous online account claimed the book was "almost entirely" written by AI.

The reversal is stunning because of what the book had already achieved. Published in France by Grasset in August, the novel — a lyrical first-person account of a teacher fleeing gang violence in Haiti on a journey across 12 countries to Canada — had sold about 35,000 copies and won the Prix du roman Fnac, with translation rights sold to more than 20 countries, according to The Guardian. Türkiye Today describes Orélien as a previously unknown writer whose debut was set to appear in more than 20 countries. Losing Goncourt contention after such momentum is the kind of upset French literary circles rarely see.

The AI claim originated on 21 September — the same day the book won the Fnac prize — when an X account called "Balance ton Claude" said it had run passages through the detection tool Pangram and found the novel "almost entirely" machine-written. The Guardian notes that questions have been raised over Pangram's accuracy, and that French media outlets found other AI detection programs identifying the book as very probably human-written. The US Authors Guild, per Digital Trends, warns some AI detectors are wildly inaccurate and should never be the sole reason to pull a book. Essayist Samuel Fitoussi, a Le Figaro columnist, later told the paper he was part of the collective behind the account.

What may have tipped the academy was not the AI claim alone. The Guardian reports that Philippe Claudel, the Académie Goncourt's president, had urged caution over the AI allegations on Wednesday, but separate plagiarism accusations published in French media appeared to cause a change of heart. Libération alleged Orélien plagiarised an award-winning short story from the preface of Louis Pauwels' 1960 book *The Morning of the Magicians*. Reuters, cited by Y100 WNCY, reports similar claims about a 2012 short story and a 2013 opinion piece copied from The Philippine Star, accusations Orélien has not yet answered.

Orélien, 38, has denied the allegations and called the campaign racially motivated. The Guardian quotes him telling Libération: "I don't see why I would use a machine," and explaining that the imagery, repetition and rhythm of his prose are "a living language, they are mine," rooted in Haitian and Caribbean traditions. Türkiye Today reports he is assembling a file with his publishers to prove he wrote the book himself, while saying at the Les Correspondances festival that he would "take a step back" because there is a desire to silence his voice. His Canadian publisher Boréal urged restraint, saying there is a real person behind the book.

Boréal has suspended promotional activities for the novel, citing the author's well-being, and told The Guardian it cannot confirm or deny the allegations. Digital Trends says the case has ignited a debate over race, literary merit and originality, echoing AI claims that rocked the Commonwealth Short Story Prize earlier this year — and raises hard questions about whether shaky detection tools should shape careers. The shortlist announcement is the next flashpoint.