Strasbourg Prize: Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien awarded for "It Was That or Die"

The Strasbourg Prizes unveiled the winners of their first edition on August 25, recognizing four works, including "It Was That or Die" by Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien, awarded the Strasbourg Hope CIC Prize and praised by the jury as a "poignant ode to all exiles on a fantastic and bright journey without return." The Grand Prix Strasbourg Crédit Mutuel goes to Roman Badanine and Mikhaïl Roubine for "The Tsar in Person" (Les Arènes), while Yannick Haenel ("The Solitude of Teachers is Infinite", Gallimard) and Marion Dubreuil ("Pelicot, a Trial for History", Futuropolis) complete this list of winners, which totals €55,000. The awards ceremony, created in June 2026, will take place on September 29 in Strasbourg during the Ideal Libraries Festival.