Canadian publisher Boréal has ended its professional relationship with novelist Thélyson Orélien after an investigation found traces of artificial intelligence in his novel’s metadata. Orélien has denied using AI to write the book, saying he used digital tools only for research.
The dispute has also cost the novel a place on France’s Prix Goncourt list. The book was withdrawn from the prize list in September 2026 after tests indicated that it likely contained AI-generated text. Boréal later confirmed its findings on October 22, 2026, saying new information showed that artificial intelligence had been used during the writing process.
A denial and a break with the publisher
Orélien, a 38-year-old writer, rejected the accusation in strong terms. “C’est une calomnie et une hérésie. J’ai eu recours çà et là à des outils pour des recherches, s’agissant notamment des idiomes étrangers. Mais aucune phrase de ce livre n’a été créée par une machine,” he said.
He also defended the personal roots of the novel, linking it to his experience and the experiences of migrants. “Je l’ai écrit moi-même. Il vient de mes blessures et de celles des autres migrants. Cette blessure de l’exil dont on ne guérit pas. Ce roman en est le fruit, c’est le fruit de mon travail, c’est ma création,” Orélien said.
Boréal’s investigation focused on traces of AI in the novel’s metadata. The publisher said it could not determine how much AI had been used in the book or identify every part of the writing process that may have involved a machine.
“Nous ignorons toujours dans quelle mesure l’IA a été utilisée dans la création de +C’était ça ou mourir+, et sans doute n’aurons-nous jamais de réponse définitive à cet égard,” Boréal said.
The publisher ended its relationship with Orélien. The timeline surrounding the decision includes October 19, 2026, when the publisher confirmed AI use and ended the collaboration, and October 22, 2026, when Boréal issued its confirmation that artificial intelligence had been used in the novel.
The novel’s history and growing attention
Orélien began writing the book in October 2017 and completed a first draft in 2019. That draft ran to more than 300 pages. His story also shaped the way readers viewed the novel: Orélien fled Haiti after a 2010 earthquake, and he connected the book to the wounds of exile and the lives of other migrants.
The book had gathered attention before the dispute. It was scheduled for translation in more than 20 countries, while Renaud-Bray, a Quebec bookstore chain, listed 1,713 reservations for its digital edition at the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec as of October 14.
Orélien had also admitted to past plagiarism mistakes. That history became part of the wider discussion surrounding the novel, even as he continued to deny that AI created any of its sentences.
On October 17, 2026, Orélien abandoned efforts to document the novel’s origins. Renaud Roussel, a Boréal co-director, said Orélien had decided to stop gathering evidence to support his denial that artificial intelligence had been used to write the book.
“Il a décidé d’abandonner ses efforts pour rassembler des preuves soutenant son déni que l’intelligence artificielle a été utilisée pour écrire son roman,” Roussel said. He added, “Le publishing house supported him in this process, which he chose to end.”
What remains unresolved
The central question remains how much AI entered the novel’s creation. Boréal says its investigation found evidence in the metadata and that tests pointed to likely AI-generated text, but the publisher also says it does not know the full extent of the technology’s use.
That leaves two claims standing side by side. Orélien says he wrote the novel himself and used tools only to research foreign idioms. Boréal says new information confirms AI use in the writing process, while acknowledging that a final measure of its role may never be available.
For now, the consequences are clear: the novel has been removed from the Prix Goncourt list, its publisher has ended the professional relationship, and a book once scheduled for translation in more than 20 countries is at the center of a dispute over authorship, evidence, and the place of AI in literary work.
Based on
- Canadian publisher Boréal ends relationship with novelist Thélyson Orélien over alleged use of AI — theguardian.com
- Canadian publisher drops Thelyson Orelien, says he used AI to write novel | South China Morning Post — scmp.com
- Thélyson Orélien a utilisé l’IA, selon son éditeur canadien — france24.com
- Quebec author abandons effort to document novel’s origins amid AI allegations – Montreal | Globalnews.ca — globalnews.ca
