M�rim�e, Prosper 1803-70
French novelist

Born in Paris, the son of a painter, he studied law, visited Spain in 1830, and held posts under the ministries of the Navy, Commerce and the Interior. He was appointed Inspector-General of historical remains in France in 1833, and became a senator in 1853. He wrote novels, short stories, archaeological and historical dissertations, and travel stories, all of which display exact learning, keen observation, real humour, and an exquisite style. Among his novels are Colomba (1841, Eng trans 1856), L'Abb� Aubain (1846, Eng trans The Abb� Aubain, 1903), Carmen (1847, Eng trans 1878), Ars�ne Guillot (1852) and La Chambre bleue (1866, 'The Blue Room'). His letters include the famous Lettres � une inconnue (1873, 'Letters to an Unknown Woman'), the Lettres � une autre inconnue (1875, 'Letters to Another Unknown Woman') and the letters to the bibliographer Anthony Panizzi (1881). He also wrote some plays. His last years were clouded by ill health and melancholy, and the downfall of the Second Empire hastened his death.

Bibliography: P L�on, M�rim�e et son temps (1962)