The Académie Goncourt announced Friday that it had removed the novel “C’était Ça ou Mourir” by Haitian‑Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien from its longlist. The decision follows accusations that the book was largely produced by artificial intelligence and that Orelien’s earlier writings may have included plagiarized material.
AI allegations surface
Claims that Orelien employed AI tools originated from a little‑known X account called “Balance ton Claude.” The account’s manager, essayist Samuel Fitoussi, said he runs it with several unidentified collaborators. Using the AI‑detection service Pangram, the account asserted the novel was “written almost entirely by artificial intelligence.” While some experts question the reliability of such detection tools, the allegations quickly gained traction.
Plagiarism concerns added
In addition to the AI controversy, La Presse reported that a 2012 short story by Orelien contained passages lifted from a book by French author Louis Pauwels, and a 2013 opinion piece appeared to copy material from the Philippine Star newspaper. Orelien has not yet responded to these claims.
Academy’s response
“To preserve the integrity of the Goncourt Prize and that of the Académie, whose central role is to promote and honour literature written by women and men, we have decided to remove the novel from the longlist,” the Academy said in a statement. It added that the decision demonstrates a firm stance against the creation of texts generated with AI assistance. The Academy will not comment further until it announces the shortlist on October 6.
Publisher reactions
Both the French and Canadian publishers initially expressed full support for Orelien amid the AI accusations, but they declined to comment further on Friday.
About the novel
The debut work follows a Haitian migrant traveling north through Latin America before reaching Canada. It has already earned several literary awards and was slated for translation into multiple languages.
The controversy highlights ongoing debates within the French literary community about the role of technology in authorship, the standards for originality, and the mechanisms for safeguarding the reputation of prestigious awards.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
