MARGUERITTE, PAUL (186o-1918) AND VICTOR (1866— ), French novelists, both born in Algeria, were the sons of General Jean Auguste Margueritte (1823-7o). Paul Margueritte, born Feb. 1, 1860, who has given a picture of his home in Algiers in Le Jardin du passé (1895), was sent to the military school of La Fleche for the sons of officers, and became in 188o clerk to the minister of public instruction. His earlier novels include: Amants (1890), La Force des choses (1891), Sur le retour (1892), La Tourmente (1893), Ma grande (1892), time d'enfant (1894) and L'Eau qui dort (1896). From the time of his collaboration with his younger brother Victor Paul Mar gueritte's work gained in colour and force.
Among the books written in common by the brothers, the most famous is the series known under the collective title, Une Epoque, dealing with the events of 187o-71, and including the novels Le Desastre (1898) , Les Troncons du glaive ( 90o) , Les Braves gens (19oI), La Commune (1904). They also collaborated in an His toire de la guerre de 1870-1871 (1903). These books were founded
on documentary and verbal information, amassed with great care and arranged with admirable art; the authors were, in this case, historians rather than novelists. La Commune is a bold indictment of the methods adopted by the victorious party. The novelists also attacked the laws governing marriage and divorce and the abuses entailed by the dowry demanded from the bride, in pamph lets and in the novels, Femmes nouvelles (1899), Les Deux vies (1902), and Le Prisme (1905). One of the best is the child story Poum (1898). Their literary partnership was dissolved in 1907. Paul Margueritte was one of the original members of the Acad emie de Goncourt. He died on Dec. 3o, 1918.
After the World War Victor Margueritte wrote other novels, the most famous of which is La Garonne (1922), and entered political controversy with two books on the question of responsi bility for the war; Les Coupables and Appel Aux Consciences, both written in 1925.