Orélien denies AI in bestseller after Goncourt removes it from shortlist

Thélyson Orélien broke his silence on 13 October 2026 in a public letter denying that artificial intelligence wrote his bestselling debut, C'était ça ou mourir. The Académie Goncourt had removed the novel from its shortlist after AI allegations. Orélien said he began writing in autumn 2017 and finished a first draft in 2019. He wrote: "This novel, I wrote it myself. It comes from my wounds and those of other migrants." He added that he used research tools for foreign languages but "not a single sentence of this book was created by a machine." The charge first appeared on 21 September from the X account Balance ton Claude. Samuel Fitoussi claimed co-ownership and said he used Pangram software on extracts. Fitoussi stated he "fears that after several millennia of civilisation founded on the written word, AI will bring about the disappearance of reading and writing." Orélien separately apologized for plagiarizing Louis Pauwels in a 2012 short story and copying The Philippine Star in a 2013 piece, saying "I deeply regret it and apologise unreservedly." He called the threats, media lynching, and racist harassment unbearable. Les éditions du Boréal suspended promotional activities on 25 September. Orélien cut short his French book tour on 27 September and returned to Quebec. Sales have exceeded 65,000 copies. The Prix Renaudot kept the novel on its second shortlist of nine.