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Biography of Merime
Merimee Prosper (1803-1870) – master of short stories, author of translations of Russian classical works, curator of architectural monuments of France, writer.
He came from the family of a French painting chemist, Jean François Leonore Mérimée. He was a student majoring in jurisprudence at the University of Paris, where, by a lucky chance, he met Ampere. After that he worked as the count’s secretary.
Later he took over the duties of an inspector for monuments of history and architecture of France. There is a list of Merimee, which includes the most significant monuments in the history of his country.
The translator and writer has traveled to many European countries. In 1830 he was introduced to Spain to the Count and Countess de Teba. He was very close to the Empress of the Tuileries court, she had daughter feelings for him.
State activity and creativity
The writer became a senator in 1853, taking advantage of the trusting attitude of Napoleon III. Being on good terms with A. Stapfer, Prosper was mainly engaged in literary creation, without leaving the service.
He often visited his friend Albert Stapfer. Representatives of the multinational creative intelligentsia gathered there, including Stendhal and the head of the department of reviews of literary works of the edition “Revue de Paris”.
Communicating with cultural figures of that time, Prosper Merimee adopted the way of thinking and traditions of different peoples of the world. This was subsequently reflected in his works.
Already at the age of twenty, he wrote “Cromwell” – a dramatic work on a historical theme. Stendhal praised this work, marking a new turn in the description of historical events, inconsistent in time and place.
It was a bold step by the author, but Prosper himself did not approve of the historical story, and he did not publish it.
In 1849 he made a French translation of The Queen of Spades by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Prosper himself was fluent in Russian and could speak it fluently. Gogol’s “Inspector General” in his translation was published in 1853.
But he also wrote his own articles, for example, on the history of Russia during the time of Peter the Great, as well as on the origin of the Cossacks in Russia. The publications were published in local newspapers.
Works by Merimee
His authorship includes the prologue in French to the work of Ivan Turgenev “Fathers and Sons”. In Paris, Mérimée’s introduction was published in the mid-sixties of the nineteenth century as a separate brochure.
He designated his own collection of plays “Theater of Clara Gazul” under the authorship of an artist from Spain, little-known to the general public. Also known for his “Gusli”, as a collection of several folk poetry and music. The Chronicle of the Times of Charles IX, in style, refers to a novel based on the history of the French king.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, one after another, his books were published. In French magazines, small stories of Mérimée about the seizure of the redoubt, the story of Etrusia, as well as the so-called Spanish letters are printed. Articles on the activities of the Spanish Museum, as well as the work “Double Error” appear in the publication “The Artist”.
In 1834, another edition published his work Souls of Purgatory, also about Spain. Five years later, the author leaves for the island of Corsica, where inspired writes the story “Colomba” about ancient customs and manners, which greatly attracted Prosper, already tired of the city bustle.
Another work is a short story about Carmen with the same name. The author has successfully described the image of a young gypsy woman, her life and the customs of gypsies in general. It was this work of the author that formed the basis for Georges Bizet’s opera production. This opera has become very popular, it is staged in many theaters around the world in the twenty-first century.
The death overtook the writer in Cannes in 1870. After his death, a collection of “Latest novellas” was published, as well as correspondence with writers and appeals to the public.
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