The French literary world has been rocked by an AI scandal, unfolding in waves. Haitian–Canadian author Thélyson Orélien had his novel removed from the shortlist of the Prix Goncourt, France’s most prestigious literary prize, last Friday – soon after an anonymous account on X claimed it was written “almost entirely by artificial intelligence”.
It Was Either That or Die (C'était ça ou mourir), about a Haitian’s perilous journey towards Canada through Brazil, Mexico and the United States, has topped the French bestseller list and sold about 35,000 copies. It won another French prize, the Fnac novel prize, last Monday and has had rave reviews.
