The controversy erupted after the French collective Balance ton Claude alleged that portions of the book were fully AI-authored, a claim echoed by Kevin Bryan, a University of Toronto professor who utilized the detection software Pangram to flag multiple excerpts as 100% synthetic. This scrutiny prompted the Goncourt Academy to disqualify the novel, citing a need to take a stand against machine-generated literature in prestigious prize circles.
Literary Prize Contender Faces AI-Authorship Allegations
Thélyson Orélien, a 38-year-old Montreal-based writer, finds his debut novel C’était ça ou mourir under fire as prominent French literary institutions withdraw their support. Despite the author’s vehement denials, testing tools and online critics claim the manuscript, which chronicles a Haitian refugee's journey, was generated entirely by artificial intelligence.
Orélien, who moved to Montreal from Haiti in 2010, maintains that his prose reflects his own cultural heritage, rhythm, and personal experience. His publisher, Grasset, has stood by the author, labeling the accusations as damaging to a work they consider both original and forceful. While the book has already secured the Prix du Roman Fnac and drawn interest from publishers in over 20 countries, the author is currently compiling evidence to verify his creative process. A U.S. translation is still slated for release by Scribner in 2028, even as the literary community grapples with the fallout of the allegations.
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