Quebec Author Thélyson Orélien Loses Publisher Amid AI Allegations

Orélien, born in Haiti, began writing the novel in 2017, inspired by his own experience fleeing Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. He completed the first draft two years later, and the manuscript was submitted to his publisher, Les Éditions du Boréal, on September 12, 2025.

The book was released on March 9, 2026, and received significant acclaim, including a nomination for the Prix Goncourt and a win for France’s Prix du Roman Fnac. However, on September 21, a social media account alleged that parts of Orélien's novel were generated by artificial intelligence using Pangram software.

Orélien denied the allegations in a joint statement with his publisher, asserting that his writing style reflects Haiti’s literary tradition and thanking his supporters for defending his reputation. Despite this, separate plagiarism allegations emerged, leading Boréal to suspend promotional activities and express concern over the accusations.

As the controversy escalated, the Académie Goncourt removed Orélien's book from consideration for the prestigious award, citing credible analyses related to the AI claims and plagiarism accusations. Orélien, who chose not to comment further on these issues, acknowledged on October 13 that he had plagiarized some earlier writings but maintained that he did not use AI for his debut novel.

On October 14, Boréal announced it would continue to support Orélien amidst the AI allegations, but on October 21, the publisher confirmed it had severed ties with him after finding evidence indicating AI involvement in the writing process. Boréal stated that it would neither reprint “C’était ça ou mourir” nor publish additional works by Orélien, acknowledging the ongoing uncertainty about the extent of AI usage in the novel's creation.