Mérimée, Prosper

Mérimée, Prosper
(1803-1870)
   novelist, historian
   Prosper Mérimée, best known for his lengthy and realistic, yet also fantastic, short stories, was born in Paris. Raised in a cultured milieu in the tradition of the enlightenment, he studied law, then entered the civil service. Through his literary interests, he frequented the Parisian salons and became friends with stendhal. He soon successively published two works, Le Théâtre de Clara Gazul, comédienne espagnole (1825) and La Guzla ou Choix de poésies illyriques (1827), both being literary parodies. in 1830, there appeared an "historic sketch," La Chronique du règne de Charles IX, a cloak-and-dagger story set in the period of the Wars of Religion. In 1833, Mérimée grouped, under the title Mosaïque, a number of short stories, remarkable for their consistent plots and concise style. The same year, La Double Mépris appeared, followed the next year by Âmes du purgatoire. Named inspector of historical monuments, Mérimée traveled throughout France to catalog the nation's archaeological treasures, then journeyed through the countries of the Mediterranean (notably Spain), which inspired La Vénus d'Ille (1837), his taste for the fantastic, and his novellas, Colomba (1840) and Carmen (1845). Here, the coldness of his tone contrasts with the violence of his sentiments. Friend to Empress Eugénie and involved in the imperial court of napoléon III, Mérimée wrote other short stories, such as Lokis (1869), in which he displays a precise realism. Mérimée's sober and concise style has been compared to that of stendhal.

France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present . 1884.

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  • Mérimée, Prosper — born Sept. 28, 1803, Paris, France died Sept. 23, 1870, Cannes French short story writer and dramatist. In youth a student of languages and literatures, he wrote his first play, Cromwell (1922), at age 19. His passions were mysticism, history,… …   Universalium

  • Mérimée,Prosper — Mé·ri·mée (mĕrʹə mā , mā rē māʹ), Prosper. 1803 1870. French writer of romantic stories and novels, such as Carmen (1846), on which Bizet s opera is based. * * * …   Universalium

  • Merimée, Prosper — ► (1803 70) Escritor francés. Lo mejor de su producción son las novelas: Matteo Falcone (1829), Colomba (1840), que tienen a Italia por escenario, Crónica del reinado de Carlos IX (1829), novela histórica, La Venus de Ille (1837) y Carmen (1845) …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • MÈRIMÈE, PROSPER —    a great French writer, born in Paris; abandoned law, to which he was bred, for literature; became under Louis Philippe inspector general of historical documents, and travelled in that capacity in the S. and W. of France, publishing from time… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Mérimée, Prosper — (1803 1870)    France. Writer. He worked in the civil service and, under Napoleon III, was employed on unofficial missions. After a visit to a tobacco factory in Spain in 1846, he wrote the novel Carmen, which was the basis for Georges Bizet s… …   Historical dictionary of the Gypsies

  • Mérimée — Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée Activité(s) Écrivain, historien, archéologue Naissance 28 septembre 1803 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prosper Merimee — Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée Activité(s) Écrivain, historien, archéologue Naissance 28 septembre 1803 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Prosper Merimee — Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (* 28. September 1803 in Paris; † 23. September 1870 in Cannes) war ein französischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mérimée — Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (* 28. September 1803 in Paris; † 23. September 1870 in Cannes) war ein französischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Prosper Mérimée — (* 28. September 1803 in Paris; † 23. September 1870 in Cannes) war ein französischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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