French Literary Star Faces AI And Plagiarism Allegations Over Prize-Winning Novel

Thélyson Orélien, whose debut novel has emerged as one of the biggest literary successes in France this year, is facing a growing controversy after allegations that he used artificial intelligence to produce the book were followed by claims of plagiarism involving some of his earlier writing.

The Canadian-Haitian author, 38, won the 2026 Prix du Roman Fnac for C’était ça ou mourir, published by Grasset. The novel has also been selected for several major French literary prizes, including the Goncourt and Renaudot.

The AI controversy began on September 21, when an anonymous X account called Balance ton Claude alleged that the novel had been written almost entirely with artificial intelligence.

The account said it had submitted passages from the book to Pangram, an AI-detection service, and received results indicating a high probability of AI-generated writing.

Orélien has rejected the allegation, saying he had no reason to use a machine to produce his work. He has also said he is working with his publisher on material that could demonstrate how the novel was created.

Grasset has defended the author and dismissed the allegations, while questions have also been raised about the reliability of AI-detection tools. Such software can produce false positives, meaning a detection result alone does not establish that a text was written by AI.

Earlier Writings Now Under Scrutiny

The controversy widened on September 23 after Canadian media reported allegations that several pieces Orélien published in the 2010s contained passages closely resembling previously published works.

Reports cited similarities involving texts published in La Presse, Radio-Canada and other outlets. One case involved a 2012 text that was reported to closely reproduce material from the preface of a 1960 book.

Those allegations concern earlier writings and are separate from the current dispute over his novel.

Novel Behind The Controversy

C’était ça ou mourir follows Jonas Dorléon, a Haitian teacher who leaves Port-au-Prince after violence destroys his neighbourhood and embarks on a dangerous journey through the Americas in search of safety and a future in Canada.

The novel has already attracted significant attention for its portrayal of migration, exile and survival.

For now, the AI authorship allegation remains an allegation, while the newer plagiarism claims involving Orélien’s previous writings are also being disputed and investigated. Neither establishes that C’était ça ou mourir was written by AI.