French author Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt has publicly explained his decision to withdraw his novel "C'était ça ou mourir" from the Goncourt prize list, according to Le HuffPost. The outlet reported the development on Sunday, 27 September 2026, describing Schmitt's account of the choice as detailed. The report did not specify the reasons he gave.
The withdrawal lands in the middle of a wider controversy in French letters. Several outlets have covered the case of Thélyson Orélien, whose novel has been at the centre of a plagiarism dispute. Mediapart quoted Mohamed Mbougar Sarr saying that when such situations go badly, they bring out the worst. Le Point framed the affair around a different question — whether artificial intelligence, rather than the author, was the real plagiarist. Courrier international described the book as too good to be true, and La Tribune published a column by Guillaume Durand on the affair.
The Goncourt list is France's most closely watched literary shortlist, and a withdrawal from it is unusual enough to draw attention on its own. Schmitt's move, reported by Le HuffPost, adds his name to a story that had already spread across French media.
What to watch next: whether the Académie Goncourt comments on the vacancy left on its list, and how the Orélien dispute develops.
