Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870), a French writer and translator from Russian, was a major figure in the Romantic movement. He is remembered as a pioneer of the novella, with Carmen (1845) and Colomba (1840) figuring among his best-known works. A noted arhaeologist and advocate for historic preservation, Mérimée served for two decades as France's inspector-general of historic monuments. Read More Read Less