Haitian Writer Thélyson Orélien Wins Prix Strasbourg Espoir CIC for 'C'était ça ou mourir'
The Haitian author was honored in the inaugural edition of the Prix Strasbourg for his work on exile and migration.
Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien has been awarded the Prix Strasbourg Espoir CIC for his book « C'était ça ou mourir », according to Le Nouvelliste. The prize was announced on August 25 as part of the first edition of the Prix Strasbourg, which distinguished four works in total. The jury praised Orélien's book as a « ode poignante à tous les exilés dans un fantastique et lumineux périple sans retour » (a poignant ode to all exiles in a fantastic and luminous journey with no return). The Grand Prix Strasbourg Crédit Mutuel went to Roman Badanine and Mikhaïl Roubine for « Le Tsar en personne » (Les Arènes). Yannick Haenel (« La solitude des professeurs est infinie », Gallimard) and Marion Dubreuil (« Pelicot, un procès pour l'Histoire », Futuropolis) rounded out the list of laureates. The awards carry a total endowment of 55,000 euros. The prizes were created in June 2026, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for September 29 in Strasbourg, during the Bibliothèques idéales festival, Le Nouvelliste reported.