Pagnol, Marcel (1895–1974) Born in Aubagne, France, Marcel Paul Pagnol served in the French army (1914–1917), and then took a degree in letters at the University of Montpellier, after which he held various teaching posts, including the Lycée Condorcet (1922–1929). He is principally famous for his evocations of the people and vocabulary of the Midi in southern France. He wrote the tragicomic 'Marseille' trilogy of plays (1929-1936), and in the 1940s and 1950s became a successful film-maker, writing and directing Manon des Sources (1952).