Merime Prosper: biography, interesting facts, creativity, death

Prosper Merime, whose biography and work are presented in this article, is one of the brightest short stories of the 19th century. Thanks to his education, he was noticeably different from contemporary French writers. But stereotypical life in the center of civilization could not seduce such an inquisitive and energetic person like Prosper Merimee. The biography of the creator of "Carmen" contains several years spent away from their homeland. He devoted most of his works to the inhabitants of the provincial towns of Spain and France.

early years

Prosper Merimet, whose brief biography is set out below, was not only a talented writer and playwright, but also a researcher, wrote several essays on the history of antiquity, and made a significant contribution to the culture of France.

He was born at the very beginning of the nineteenth century. From the father, the future writer inherited skepticism and a love of creativity. As a child, I did not think about Prosper Merimee's studies in literature. His brief biography records his years of study at the law faculty. After graduation, he was appointed inspector of historical monuments. But according to biographers, just as a student, he realized that his real vocation is philology. He studied English, Greek, Spanish. And in order to read Pushkin’s original, the French novelist, being a fan of the poet’s work, also mastered the Russian language.

The beginning of the creative path

How did Prosper Merimee begin his literary work? His biography, as a rule, is mentioned in the playbook Klara Gazul Theater, with which he allegedly began his career. In reality, the French classic created the first dramatic work earlier.

Prosper was barely nineteen years old when he presented a rather bold play for those days to the judgment of his colleagues and friends (among whom was Stendhal). In the early nineteenth century, French drama began to be weighed down by the rigid canons of classicism. But even in such conditions, the work of the novice playwright seemed extremely bold and unusual to his colleagues. They approved the play, written by young Prosper Merimee. His biography nevertheless speaks of a later literary debut. The work that Stendhal liked extremely much, Merimeme decided not to publish, because he considered it far from perfect.

Inspector of Historical Monuments

Thanks to this position, Prosper Merime, whose biography tells of many wanderings, had the opportunity to travel around the country a lot. But he learned to enjoy provincial landscapes later, at a more mature age. And at the end of the university, Merimeh published a collection of plays entitled "Clara Gazul Theater". But he published it under a pseudonym.

Klara Gazul

Who characterized the contemporaries of a writer and playwright named Prosper Merime? His biography says that among friends this outstanding personality stood out significantly. Merimee loved not only travel and adventure, but also hoaxes. So, the first collection published by him was signed by a female name. And on the cover was a portrait of Merimee, but in a female form.

Iakinf Maglanovich

What else could the biography of Prosper Merimee tell? Interesting facts relate to the early periods of his life. If Merime published his first collection under the name of a certain Klara Gazul, then on the cover of the second book one could see the pseudonym Iakinf Maglanovich. It was a collection of Illyrian ballads called "Gusli", which tells of witches, vampires, and other devilry. The book made a lot of noise in Europe, today it is considered to be a clever and witty imitation of folk poetry of the Western Slavs.

Historical literature

Later Merimeh published books already under his own name. He presented to the readers' judgment works on a historical theme - “Jacquerie” and “Chronicle of the times of Charles XIX”. And then Merime carried his fans to distant lands. The short story “Matteo Falcone” is a cruel story from Corsican life. “Capture of the Redoubt” is a work dedicated to the stamina of the Russians in the war with Napoleon. And finally, Tamango is an indignant tale of trafficking in African slaves.

At court

In 1830, Merimé traveled extensively in Spain, which was dear to his heart. Here he met the Count de Teba and his wife. Their daughter - Eugene - subsequently became the French Empress. The girl from an early age had warm feelings for Merima. And so the writer eventually became “his” at court. By the age of forty, he was awarded the title of senator and enjoyed the full confidence of Napoleon III. Politics and career could not play a primary role in the life of Prosper Merime, but they took a lot of time. Perhaps that is why in ten years he wrote only three works.

Georges Sand

In 1844, the novel “Arsène Guillot” was published. In it, the author showed the moral superiority of a fallen woman over an aristocrat, which caused a great scandal in society. The reason for the gossip was Merimee’s romance with the writer George Sand. He courted her for two years. Nevertheless, he was able to arouse feelings in the soul of an emancipated and disappointed woman in men . But this novel did not have a sequel. Subsequently, Merimee claimed that the complete lack of modesty in his beloved killed all desire in him.

Carmen

In 1845, the most famous work of Merimee was released. "Carmen" formed the basis of the famous opera of the same name. The novel refers to the passionate love of a former officer, and now a smuggler named Jose, to the cunning and cruel gypsy Carmensita. In the work, Merima paid special attention to the mores and customs of a freedom-loving people. The girl who does not want to submit is killed by Jose. The short story of Merime was filmed many times. According to literary scholars, such a theme of the French writer inspired after reading Pushkin's poem "Gypsies." But it is worth saying that Merima managed to create an image that is not inferior in strength to Don Quixote or Hamlet.

Last years

The last twenty years of Merimee almost did not create works of art. He devoted himself to literary activity. He was engaged in translations, wrote several works devoted to Gogol and Pushkin. It is Merimee that French readers owe their acquaintance with Russian literature. In 1861, he published a journalistic work dedicated to peasant uprisings in Russia. Among other books, the theme of which touches on Russian culture: “An Episode from Russian History”, “Ivan Turgenev”, “Nikolai Gogol”.

Other works

Merimee created six dramatic works and more than twenty short stories. In addition, he published several essays on travel. Prosper Merimee short stories:

• Federigo.
• "Backgammon Party."
• "Letters from Spain."
• Etruscan Vase.
• "The souls of purgatory."
• "Double mistake."
• "Venus of Illa."
• "Abbot Aubin."
• The Colomba.

Among the works written by Merima for the theater, it is worth mentioning “The Enchanted Gun”, “Dissatisfied”, “Adventurer Debut”.

Lokis is the last work published by Prosper Merime.

Biography (death)

In 1870, in Cannes, the great French writer Prosper Merimet passed away. On his gravestone is a tablet with the inscription: “With love and apology. George Sand. " Already after the death of the writer, two more of his novels were published: “The Blue Room”, “Juman”. Five years later, the world listened with admiration to the dramatic history of the gypsy, embodied by Meringue in music.