MERIMEE CHRONOLOGY PAGE 1
ABRIDGED CHRONOLOGY FOR MÉRIMÉE FROM WIKEPEDIA
Prosper Mérimée (French: [meʁime]; 28 September 1803 – 23September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella (a short novel or long short story). He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and an important figure in the history of architectural preservation. He is best known for his novella Carmen, which became the basis of Bizet's opera Carmen. He learned Russian, a language for which he had great affection, and translated the work of several important Russian writers, including Pushkin and Gogol,into French. From 1830 until 1860 he was the inspector of French historical monuments and was responsible for the protection of many historic sites, including the medieval citadel of Carcassonne and the restoration of the façade of the cathedral of Notre- Dame de Paris. Along with the writer George Sand, he discovered the series of tapestries called The Lady and the Unicorn and arranged for their preservation. He was instrumental in the creation of Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris, where the tapestries are now displayed. The official database of French monuments, the Base Mérimée bears his name
Date Event
Sept.28, 1803 Born in Paris to Léonor and Anne Mérimée, both painters.
1810 Enrolled in the Lycée Napoléon, later Lycée Henri IV, an elite school for the children of the Restoration.
Mastered English, classical Greek and Latin, loved history.
1820 Finished Lycée with high marks; began Law School.
1820s Literature (French and foreign) won over Law; first attempts at translating. Frequented the literary salons where he met such luminaries as Chateaubriand, Stendhal, and other contemporary authors. Began writing plays, poetry, etc. Stories and articles published in the leading literary journals.
1824 Published Clara Gazul, a set of short theatrical pieces, witty and satirical, commenting on theater, politics, and society. Its fame was short-lived; however, Balzac considered it “a decisive step in the literary revolution” (Romanticism).
1829 Published Chronique du Temps de Charles IX a historical novel of the sixteenth century. Not very successful. Three years later, Hugo published Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) to great acclaim.
Cecilia Grenier WALLA Spring 2021 MERIMEE CHRONOLOGY PAGE 2
Date Event
1829 Found a new genre that was perfectly suited to his talents: the novella (French nouvelle). Wrote his classic Mateo Falcone, which always appears in lists of the best novellas.
1829-31 Made several long trips and traveled widely in Spain gathering material for his future literary works. Becomes acquainted with Countess Montijo, who told him the story that would become Carmen. The Countess’ daughter Eugénie would become the wife of the Emperor Louis Napoleon in 1853.
1830 Revolution of 1830: Charles X overthrown, replaced by Louis Philippe I.
1831 Fills several different posts in the new government; put in charge of organizing the response to the epidemic of cholera, which killed 18,000 Parisians. He gained a reputation as an excellent administrator.
1832 Sent as envoy to England to report on their elections.
Victor Hugo wrote an article about the “massacres of stones” and “demolishers” of the French Heritage.
May 27,1833 Appointed Inspector of Historical Monuments, a post he held until 1852. Many of the historical monuments, especially churches and abbeys had been all but destroyed in the Revolution. It was a Herculean task that required a cataloguing of all the existing monuments and rescuing others by classifying them as historical monuments. He also hired and worked with the architects trained in Restoration.
1840 Began working with Eugène Viollet-Le-Duc on the Restoration of Notre Dame de Paris; the results of which we were all privileged to see until the disastrous fire on April 15, 2019.
1840-41 Traveled extensively in Italy and Greece.
1841 Stayed with George Sand at the château de Boussac in the Limousin district of France. As they were exploring the castle, they came across a set of tapestries, the Lady and the Unicorn; they had suffered many depredations from neglect and rodents.
1861 After restoration, the tapestries were displayed in the Musée de Cluny, now called the Musée National du Moyenne Age, where they can still be seen today.
1837-45 While researching historical monuments, Mérimée wrote three of his most famous novellas: Vénus d’Ille (1837), Colomba, (1840), and Carmen (1845.
Cecilia Grenier WALLA Spring 2021 MERIMEE CHRONOLOGY PAGE 3
Date Event
March 14, 1844 Elected to the Académie Française after 17 ballots.
1848-52 Admired Russian literature so much that he learned the language and then translated some of the major works into French, including Pushkin’s The Queen of Spades and Gogol’s Dead Souls.
February 1848 As a member of the National Guard, witnesses the Revolution of 1848 topple Louis Philippe and establish the Second Republic with Louis Napoléon (Napoléon III) as president. Not very enthusiastic about the revolution. Nevertheless, he retains his position as Inspector of Monuments.
1851 The French constitution prevents Louis Napoléon from running for reelection, so he organizes a coup and installs himself as Emperor. Mérimée “feared anarchy more than monarchy.”
January 21, Promoted to Officer of the Legion of Honor. 1852
1852 Napoléon III marries Eugénie Montijo and declares her Empress.
Mérimée is named Senator of the Empire and spends quite a bit of time in the entourage of Napoléon III. He befriends Eugénie who is lonely and neglected while the Emperor dallies with former mistresses.
1861-1870 Continues to serve as advisor to the new Inspector of Monuments.
Wrote his last works, Djoumane, pub 1873, La Chambre Bleu (1872, and Lokis, pub.1869. These are of the fantastic genre.
Continues his work in Russian Literature.
1870 Franco-Prussian war erupts, the Emperor is taken prisoner; the Germans totally overrun the French; France capitulates.
September 23, Death of Mérimée, burial in Grand Jas Protestant cemetery in Cannes. 1870
May 1871 During the Paris Commune, a mob burns his house, destroying his library, notes, manuscripts and collections because of his close association with the Emperor.
Cecilia Grenier WALLA Spring 2021