Marie Gicquel (special correspondent in Compiègne) / Photo credits: LEEMAGE VIA AFP 12:50 p.m., March 7, 2024

Until March 18, in partnership with Europe 1, the Château de Compiègne is hosting an exhibition which presents the life and work of Prosper Mérimée, the creator of the mythical character of Carmen.

He is one of the greatest geniuses of the 19th century.

Unfairly little known, the author Prosper Mérimée is exhibiting at the Château de Compiègne.

The public owes him Carmen in particular, one of the greatest literary myths of all time from which George Bizet was inspired to write the opera

Carmen

, the most performed work in the world.

Prosper Mérimée was also an archaeologist and antiquarian.

He was even an inspector of historical monuments.

The Château de Compiègne therefore pays tribute to him through an exhibition in partnership with Europe 1.

A globally recognized creation

His heroine Carmen escaped him.

If the opera Carmen is recognized worldwide, it was Prosper Mérimée who imagined in 1845, this omnipresent bohemian on the opera stages.

Costumes by Christian Lacroix, models of the sets, drawings by Picasso, Carmen occupies a central place in this exhibition.

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The true story of Prosper Mérimée, the writer in the service of French heritage

“The fact that Mérimée has been forgotten and that Carmen is much better known is rather the sign of a very great creator, a creator of myths,” explains Rodolphe Rappeti, director of the Château de Compiègne.

A versatile artist

Caricatured by Chateaubriand, inspired by his friend Stendhal, Prosper Mérimée did not only frequent literary salons.

His CV is quite extensive: senator, historian, archaeologist and inspector of historical monuments.

“It is he who really sets up the system of protection of historical monuments as we still know it,” continues Rodolphe Rappeti.

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Carmen, story of a legendary opera

Of this abundant life, there is not much left.

A fire ravaged Prosper Mérimée's apartment, but his influence endures and this exhibition recalls it with accuracy and humility.