Poet.  Born in Paris, France on rue Coquilliére. Before reaching 20 years of age, Leon had already published his important poem Tancrède in the magazine Pan (1895; published in book form in 1911) and had become a member of the Symbolist circle connected with Le Mercure de France. His first collection of verse, Poèmes, was published in 1912 and reissued in 1918. Later works include Pour la musique (1919; “For Music”), Espaces (1929; “Spaces”), and Sous la lampe (1929; “Under the Lamp”). After 1930 Leon devoted himself almost exclusively to journalism, writing newspaper columns and longer, lyrical essays about Parisian life. It is for these and the prose-poem memoirs collected in Le Piéton de Paris (1939; “The Parisian Pedestrian”) that he is remembered the most for. He died in Paris. (bio by: Shock)