Here is a timeline of the rise of OrĂ©lienâs 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 Ăditions du BorĂ©al said it received the manuscript of âCâĂ©tait 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: âCâĂ©tait ça ou mourirâ 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 Ăditions Grasset.
Sept. 2: âCâĂ©tait ça ou mourirâ is among 16 nominees for the Prix Goncourt, one of Franceâs most prestigious literary awards.
Sept. 21: Grasset announces the author has won Franceâs Prix du Roman Fnac, a literary award chosen by a jury of 400 booksellers and 400 readers.
That same day, the X account âBalance ton Claudeâ alleges that, according to Pangram software, excerpts of OrĂ©lienâs novel had been written âalmost entirely by artificial intelligence.â
Sept. 22: OrĂ©lien denies AI use in a joint press release with his Quebec publisher. The author says his writing style comes from Haiti's literary tradition, âwhere poetry, images, repetitions and rhythm carry a living speech."
The publisher defends OrĂ©lien and denounces statements that âdirectly damage the authorâs reputation.â
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: BorĂ©al says it is concerned about the plagiarism allegations and suspends promotional activities surrounding OrĂ©lienâs novel, citing the authorâs 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 lâEstrie, a book fair in Sherbrooke, Que., announces it is removing OrĂ©lien as a guest of honour after learning of the plagiarism allegations.
That same day, French literary online magazine ActuaLittĂ© publishes an article about a 2023 text on OrĂ©lienâs blog which included a sentence that looks like an AI prompt.Â
Sept. 25: The AcadĂ©mie Goncourt removes âCâĂ©tait ça ou mourirâ from consideration for the Prix Goncourt. The academy cites analyses it considered credible and the separate plagiarism allegations involving OrĂ©lienâs previous work.
OrĂ©lien declines to respond to the new allegations or provide further comment. âI canât talk about it. I want to focus on my physical and mental health,â he says in a WhatsApp message to The Canadian Press.
Oct. 13: In a statement, OrĂ©lien admits that he plagiarized some of his earlier work and apologizes for making what he described as unacceptable mistakes in his youth. âAdmiration does not give you the right to take, to claim as your own texts that are not yours,â 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.
âWhat I am going through is cruel,â he writes. âBy 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.â
Oct. 14: BorĂ©al condemned OrĂ©lienâs 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 authorâs word to determine how the novel was written.
âThe publisherâs role is not to demand proof from authors, but to stand by them, and that is what we are doing,â the publishing house said.
Oct. 17: BorĂ©al confirms OrĂ©lien has dropped his efforts to compile evidence he did not use AI to write his novel. âThat 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,â co-director Renaud Roussel wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.Â
At the time, Roussel said the publisherâs position on the affair had not changed. A new printing was expected the following week.Â
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.
âWe still do not know to what extent AI was used in the creation of âCâĂ©tait ça ou mourir,â and we will likely never have a definitive answer,â it wrote.
â With files from Charlotte Glorieux
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
