Thélyson Orélien, a 38-year-old author based in Quebec, has denied using artificial intelligence to write his acclaimed novel C’était ça ou mourir, while openly admitting to plagiarism involving texts published in Canada over a decade ago.
Defending the Novel Against AI Allegations
The accusations targeted C’était ça ou mourir, a literary phenomenon in France that traces the journey of Jonas Dorléon, a teacher fleeing gang violence in Haiti across twelve countries to Canada. Orélien pushed back strongly against claims that technology authored the work, addressing the allegations in a text titled Esta novela que escribí.
📚 France's biggest literary scandal: Bestselling Quebec author Thélyson Orélien denies AI wrote his hit novel "C'était ça ou mourir" — "not a single sentence was created by a machine," he says — after detectors flagged it 100% AI and the Goncourt Prize dropped it from its… pic.twitter.com/G5tYUjZ0vb
“It is said that C’était ça ou mourir was written by an artificial intelligence. It is a slander and a heresy. I did occasionally use tools of this type to do research… But not a single sentence of this book was created by a machine,” Orélien stated. He added that the novel stems directly from personal and shared migrant trauma, noting that he began drafting the text in the autumn of 2017 and finished a first draft in 2019.
Acknowledging Early Plagiarism in Canada
While denying the AI accusations, the author conceded to past intellectual property violations concerning texts by renowned writers following his arrival in Canada in 2010. Orélien acknowledged that he committed unacceptable errors during his early twenties, admitting a desire to write quickly without fully appreciating the learning curve required.
“Admiration does not authorize me to take, to attribute to myself texts that are not mine,” Orélien noted, offering a deep expression of regret and an apology. Despite these admissions, the writer did not provide previously promised documentation to substantiate his timeline regarding the novel’s composition.
Fallout Within the French Literary Establishment
The controversy swiftly impacted the author’s standing in the European literary community. Shortly after the allegations surfaced, the prestigious Académie Goncourt removed Orélien from its list of candidates for the season’s awards. The unfolding dispute continues to prompt wider global questions regarding the intersection of modern technology, authorship, and academic integrity within the literary sector.
| Event Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | Thélyson Orélien (Age: 38) |
| Novel in Question | C’était ça ou mourir |
| Timeline of Draft | Began autumn 2017; first draft completed 2019 |
| Key Consequence | Removed from Académie Goncourt consideration list |
