MONTREAL – A few weeks ago, Haitian-born Quebec author Thélyson Orélien was collecting award nominations as his book topped bestseller lists. Then, allegations that he used artificial intelligence to write his debut novel, “C’était ça ou mourir” (“It was either that or dying”), started cropping up.
On Wednesday, his Quebec publisher announced it was cutting ties with the author after it found evidence it says indicates he used artificial intelligence to write his book.
Here is a timeline of the rise of Orélien’s book and the mounting accusations that followed.
2017: Orélien said he began writing his book in 2017 in Laval, north of Montreal.
The book follows a Haitian man forced to flee his country and make a perilous journey through the Americas to Quebec. The story is based on Orélien’s own experience leaving Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, the author has said.
2019: Orélien said he finished the first draft of more than 300 pages, two years later.
Sept. 12, 2025: Les Éditions du Boréal said it received the manuscript of “C’était ça ou mourir.” The publisher later said it couldn’t verify the allegations about the book’s writing process before that date.
March 9, 2026: “C’était ça ou mourir” is published in Quebec. It was published in France a few weeks later and set to be translated into over 20 languages, according to French publisher Éditions Grasset.
Sept. 2: “C’était ça ou mourir” is among 16 nominees for the Prix Goncourt, one of France’s most prestigious literary awards.
Sept. 21: Grasset announces the author has won France’s Prix du Roman Fnac, a literary award chosen by a jury of 400 booksellers and 400 readers.
That same day, the X account “Balance ton Claude” alleges that, according to Pangram software, excerpts of Orélien’s novel had been written “almost entirely by artificial intelligence.”
Sept. 22: Orélien denies AI use in a joint press release with his Quebec publisher. The author says his writing style comes from Haiti’s literary tradition, “where poetry, images, repetitions and rhythm carry a living speech.”
The publisher defends Orélien and denounces statements that “directly damage the author’s reputation.”
Sept. 23: Separate plagiarism allegations emerge as media outlet La Presse publishes an article outlining passages in articles attributed to Orélien and published in Quebec and French media between 2012 and 2014 that were near-identical to previously-published work by other authors.
Sept. 24: Boréal says it is concerned about the plagiarism allegations and suspends promotional activities surrounding Orélien’s novel, citing the author’s well-being. The publisher says it is working with the author to compile a detailed record of his writing process.
The Salon du livre de l’Estrie, a book fair in Sherbrooke, Que., announces it is removing Orélien as a guest of honour after learning of the plagiarism allegations.
That same day, French literary online magazine ActuaLitté publishes an article about a 2023 text on Orélien’s blog which included a sentence that looks like an AI prompt.
Sept. 25: The Académie Goncourt removes “C’était ça ou mourir” from consideration for the Prix Goncourt. The academy cites analyses it considered credible and the separate plagiarism allegations involving Orélien’s previous work.
Orélien declines to respond to the new allegations or provide further comment. “I can’t talk about it. I want to focus on my physical and mental health,” he says in a WhatsApp message to The Canadian Press.
Oct. 13: In a statement, Orélien admits that he plagiarized some of his earlier work and apologizes for making what he described as unacceptable mistakes in his youth. “Admiration does not give you the right to take, to claim as your own texts that are not yours,” he writes.
However, he denies using AI to write his debut novel, saying no sentence was generated by a machine. He adds that he used AI tools for research, for instance to look up foreign-language expressions.
“What I am going through is cruel,” he writes. “By attributing a text, one that is mine…to a machine, they have not only called into question my status as a writer but also my humanity.”
Oct. 14: Boréal condemned Orélien’s plagiarism but said it stood by the author amid the AI allegations and would keep the book on shelves. It said it had no evidence beyond the author’s word to determine how the novel was written.
“The publisher’s role is not to demand proof from authors, but to stand by them, and that is what we are doing,” the publishing house said.
Oct. 17: Boréal confirms Orélien has dropped his efforts to compile evidence he did not use AI to write his novel. “That decision is his to make, and we accept it, although we certainly would have preferred to be able to provide definitive answers to the allegations of AI use against him,” co-director Renaud Roussel wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
At the time, Roussel said the publisher’s position on the affair had not changed. A new printing was expected the following week.
Oct. 21: Boréal announces it cut ties with Orélien. The publishing house says it found evidence, through an analysis of some documents’ metadata, that Orélien used AI to write his book.
The publisher said it will not reprint the book or publish more books by Orélien.
“We still do not know to what extent AI was used in the creation of ‘C’était ça ou mourir,’ and we will likely never have a definitive answer,” it wrote.
— With files from Charlotte Glorieux
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.