Prosper Mérimée

French author. Born in Paris on September 28th. He studied law at university, but aspired to be a writer from an early age. His debut work was "Plays by Clara Gassoul" published in 1825, falsely crediting it to an actress of the same name. In 1829, he received favorable reviews for his historical novel "The Chronicles of Charles IX," and thereafter released a succession of excellent short stories. His works include "Mateo Falcone," the story of a Corsican man who coldly executes his young son who has betrayed and tarnished the family name; "Tamango," an epic tale of a black rebellion on a slave ship and the subsequent brutal drift; "The Visions of Charles XI," a supernatural tale made to look like a historical piece; and "The Etruscan Vase," a sophisticated and stylish psychological love story. Although the subject matter and method are varied, all of them can be said to be models of short stories due to their clear style and tight structure. It seems that Mérimée's literary reputation was thus established in his late twenties.

He entered the government in 1831, and in 1834 he was appointed Superintendent for the Protection of Cultural Properties. From then on, he made frequent tours of the country and abroad, devoting his energies to the investigation, protection and restoration of historical buildings and ruins. One of his great achievements was to employ the then virtually unknown architect Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879) to restore medieval architecture around the country. As a by-product of his numerous tours of the country, he produced such masterpieces as the archaeological horror story Venus of Ile (1837), set in Ile at the foot of the Pyrenees, and Colomba (1840), based on material from Corsica. Carmen (1845), considered his masterpiece, can be said to be an extension of this line of work. In 1844 he became a member of the Academie, and in 1853 he became a Senator at the request of his old acquaintance, Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III. After "Carmen," his desire to write novels waned, and he shifted his focus to historical writing, research, and the translation and introduction of Russian literature. On the other hand, amid his busy social life as a courtier, he wrote a huge number of letters, many of which were intended for publication. In his final years, his desire to write novels was rekindled, but he was unable to produce a masterpiece. In 1870, after France's defeat in the Prussian-French War and the collapse of the Empire, he died in despair in Cannes on September 23 of the same year.

Mérimée was essentially an 18th-century rationalist, but he was indisputably influenced by the tastes of his time, and under the influence of Romanticism, his forte was short and medium-length stories that took their themes from foreign lands or the distant past and told of the dark passions of human beings and their struggles with fate. On the other hand, one can also point out his attempts at psychological novels, his satirical comedies, and his penchant for the supernatural, but in all cases his writing was underpinned by a clear, cool-headed style that maintained classical refinement. As a shrewd urbane man, Mérimée could not help but maintain a certain distance from his works, even as he recounted strange or fantastical events. He had to always remain "awake."

[Akio Tominaga]

"The Complete Works of Mérimée, translated by Katsuo Sugi et al., 7 volumes (1977-, Kawade Shobo Shinsha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

フランスの作家。9月28日パリに生まれる。大学では法科に学んだが、早くから創作を志し、1825年『クララ・ガスル戯曲集』を同名の女優の作と偽って出版したのが処女作。29年、歴史小説『シャルル9世年代記』で好評を得、以後続々と傑作短編群を発表するに至る。裏切りをはたらき家名を汚した幼い息子を冷然と処刑するコルシカ男の物語『マテオ・ファルコーネ』、奴隷船上の黒人の反乱とその後の惨たる漂流を叙事詩風に綴(つづ)った『タマンゴ』、歴史ものらしく仕立てた怪異譚(かいいたん)『カール11世の幻視』、精緻(せいち)で粋(いき)な恋愛心理小説『エトルリアの壺(つぼ)』など、題材も手法もまちまちだが、いずれも透明な文体と緊密な構成により短編小説の見本といってよい。メリメの文名はかくて20代後半に確立した感がある。

　1831年から官界に入り、34年には文化財保護監督官、以後は頻々と国内外に巡察旅行を試みて、歴史的建造物、遺跡の調査、保護、修復に精力を注ぐ。当時無名に近かった建築家ビオレ・ル・デュック（1814―79）を登用して各地の中世建築の修復にあたらせたのも大きな功績である。数多い巡察旅行の副産物として、ピレネー山麓(さんろく)のイールを舞台とする考古学的怪談『イールのビーナス』（1837）、コルシカに取材した『コロンバ』（1840）などの佳作が生まれた。代表作と目される『カルメン』（1845）も、この延長線上にある作品といえる。44年アカデミー会員、53年には旧知のナポレオン3世妃ウージェニーに請われて上院議員となる。『カルメン』以後、小説への意欲は衰えをみせ、史伝、考証、ロシア文学の翻訳・紹介に文筆活動の重点が移る。他方、廷臣として多忙な社交生活のなかから、多分に公刊を予期した膨大な書簡群が生まれている。最晩年には小説への意欲が再燃したが、傑作を生むには至らず、70年、プロイセン・フランス戦争の敗北と帝政の崩壊を見て、失意のうちに同年9月23日カンヌで没した。

　メリメの本質は18世紀的合理主義者だが、時代の好尚は争えず、ロマン派の影響下に、異国や遠い昔に材をとり、人間の暗い情熱や運命との抗争を物語る中短編がやはりその本領である。他方、心理小説風の試みや、風刺的戯作(げさく)、怪異への好みなども指摘できるが、いずれの場合も古典的端正さを崩さない明晰(めいせき)冷徹な文体が支えとなっている。明敏な都会人メリメは、異常な、あるいは幻想的な事件を物語りつつも、つねに作品と一定の距離を保たずにはいられない。彼はいつも「醒(さ)めて」いなければならないのである。

［冨永明夫］

『杉捷夫他訳『メリメ全集』全7巻（1977～・河出書房新社）』

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