Goncourt Prize: Academy withdraws 'C’était ça ou mourir' by Thélyson Orélien after controversy

Thélyson Orélien's novel « C’était ça ou mourir » was removed from the 2026 Goncourt selection due to allegations of AI usage and plagiarism. The Goncourt Academy cited these reasons after analyzing the text, despite the author's denial of using AI. The controversy led to the suspension of promotional activities by the Canadian publisher, éditions du Boréal. The novel, published in August 2026 by Grasset, features Jonas Dorléon, a teacher, and was released before the controversy.