Real Benoit (1916-1972), a native of Sainte-Therese-de-Blainville, studied at Sainte-Therese Seminary and at Sainte-Croix College. His early career in journalism involved writing for "Le Soleil", "Le Petit Journal", "La Presse", "Horizons", "Le Jour" and "Regards". In the latter publication his first fiction appeared. In 1945 his anthology of fiction, Nezon, was well-received by the critics. Later, Benoit became news editor and music programmer for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. After a trip to Brazil, he founded Benoit- de Tonnancour Films, a concern which ended in 1959. In 1960, Benoit became supervisor of network films for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. From then until his demise in 1972, Benoit, profoundly affected by his long-time companionship with Andree Lariviere and by his second marriage to Francine Laurendeau, became a prolific writer: he published Rhum soda (trip novel), Mes Voisins (short novel), Quelqu'un pour m'ecouter (novel which obtained in 1965 The Grand Prix de la Ville de Montreal), and the dramas Le Marin d'Athenes and La Nuit de la Saint-Theodore, adapted for television by Jean-Paul Fugere. The drama Le Chant des grenouilles apres la pluie was published posthumously in 1973 by La Cercle du livre de France. Benoit's work was coloured by numerous personal sorrows, not the least of which were the breakup of his first marriage to Marthe Lafontaine, and the accidental death of his first son.

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