Quebec author drops effort to prove novel was not written with AI

A Quebec author has given up trying to prove he did not use artificial intelligence to write his novel, leaving the central question in a monthslong controversy unresolved even as his publisher continues to sell the book.

Éditions du Boréal confirmed that Thélyson Orélien decided to end an evidence-gathering process meant to document how he wrote "C'était ça ou mourir" — "It was either that or dying" — before submitting it for publication. The decision was relayed in an email to The Canadian Press from Boréal co-director Renaud Roussel.

"The publishing house supported him in this process, which he chose to end," Roussel said. "That 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."

Orélien did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press about his decision.

Roussel said the initiative to compile the record had come from Orélien himself, not from the publisher, and that Boréal's position on the matter had not changed. In September, Boréal had publicly disclosed that it was collaborating with Orélien on the effort. Orélien had earlier told French outlet Libération he was gathering evidence with his publishers in both France and Quebec to back up his account of the book's writing.

Sales slow, but demand for library copies climbs

Boréal confirmed that sales of the novel have slowed since the controversy began, though it declined to give figures. The book remains available in bookstores but is currently out of stock at the publishing house, with a new printing expected next week.

Not every retailer is reporting a shift. Floriane Claveau, a spokesperson for the Quebec bookstore chain Renaud-Bray, said earlier this week that the retailer had not observed any significant change in sales of the novel over the preceding weeks.

At the same time, interest in reading the book through public channels appears to be rising. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, the province's library and archives institution, said interest has been exceptionally high, with 1,713 reservations for the novel's digital edition through its online lending service as of Oct. 14. Spokesperson Claire-Hélène Lengellé said demand has remained strong for several weeks.

Publisher says it won't demand proof from authors

In a statement released Wednesday, Boréal said it received Orélien's manuscript on Sept. 12, 2025, and could not independently verify how the novel was written before that date. The publisher said its role was not to demand proof from authors but to stand by them, leaving readers to decide for themselves whether to buy the book.

Orélien, in a statement released through Boréal on Tuesday, said he had nothing to prove to those making accusations against him. He has denied using AI to write the novel, saying he began working on it in 2017 and completed a first draft of more than 300 pages in 2019.

The dispute has already cost the book a major literary honor. The novel was removed from contention for France's Prix Goncourt earlier this month amid the AI allegations and separate plagiarism claims involving Orélien's earlier writings. In his Tuesday statement, Orélien acknowledged plagiarism in some of his previous work, apologizing for what he called unacceptable mistakes made in his youth, while maintaining that no sentence in the novel was generated by a machine.

Boréal suspended promotional activities around the novel in September, citing concerns for the author's well-being, but said Wednesday it would keep selling the book in the absence of definitive findings on the AI allegations. A new printing is expected to reach stores next week.

Every quotation and figure in this article is checked against the source reporting linked above before publication. How we report