Prosper Mérimée

Prosper Mérimée (1803–1870) was a French realist writer, playwright and historian, born in Paris and died in Cannes. Fluent in several languages, he served as inspector-general of historical monuments and was elected to the Académie française in 1844. He is best known for his short stories and novellas, often set against exotic or regional backgrounds; his style is restrained and concise, and he excels at building dramatic tension and an air of mystery through understated narration. His representative works include Carmen, Colomba and Mateo Falcone, and Carmen became world-famous through Bizet's opera adaptation. This collection offers twelve of his works, including the short-story selection Il Viccolo di Madama Lucrezia and the complete Fu Lei translations, giving readers a view of this classic French author.