Quebec Publisher Ends Deal With Thélyson Orélien Over AI Use in Novel
Les Éditions du Boréal, a Quebec publisher, has ended its working relationship with the author Thélyson Orélien after finding evidence that artificial intelligence was used in early versions of his novel. The book is C'était ça ou mourir in French, and its English-language title is It Was Either That Or Die.
The publisher announced the decision on October 21, 2026, in a statement on its website. Its earlier statement, a follow-up titled Nouvelle déclaration du Boréal au sujet de Thélyson Orélien, had been published on September 25. Les Éditions du Boréal said it still does not know how far AI was used in the book.
The accusations first surfaced in September on an anonymous account on X, the social media platform. Orélien has denied using AI to generate the manuscript. The publisher said that new information confirmed in recent days showed AI was used in the writing process despite his assurances.
The publisher has also suspended promotion of the book, meaning it has stopped marketing it. The Guardian reported that Orélien has been withdrawn from France's Prix Goncourt, one of the country's most prominent literary prizes.
Separately, CBC reported that Orélien has admitted to past plagiarism, which means copying other people's work without credit.
For a reader, the story turns on a simple question: how a book's text was made. Publishers now have to check that question themselves, because a manuscript that looks finished can still be challenged months after it reaches the shelf.
