Georges Athénas

Marius-Ary Leblond is the pen name of two writers from the island of Reunionese. Georges Athénas (as Marius Leblond) and Alexandre Merlo (as Ary Leblond) were cousins and both worked as journalists and art critics. While attending school in Paris, they decided to write under one pseudonym after the names of two women they were in love with.

Their joint work was awarded the Prix Goncourt in 1909 for the novel En France, which tells the story of two young Creoles who come to study at the Sorbonne. Their writing is characterized by the colonial spirit. They published other novels under this pseudonym, non-fiction books on Madagascar and French colonial history, on art and literature as well as essays.

Both also held public positions, Athénas as secretary to Marshal Gallieni (1849-1916) in World War I. He edited the journal La Vie and was a member of the Académie des sciences coloniales. He was appointed Commander in the Legion of Honor. The Académie française awarded them the Jean-Reynaud prize in 1939 for their life work.