Monday 2 August 2021

Book Review: Carmen and Other Stories by Prosper Mérimée (Classics/Short Stories)

Title: Carmen and Other Stories
Author: Prosper Mérimée
Publisher: Oxford World Classics
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 361
Format: Paperback
Genre: Classics / Short Stories
Source: Gift

One of the earliest exponents of the short story, Prosper Mérimée wrote the universally-acclaimed tale Carmen, which provided the basis for one of the world's most popular operas. In addition to this classic tale, the book includes Colomba, Mateo Falcone, The Storming of the Redoubt, Tamango, The Etruscan Vase, The Game of Backgammon, The Venus of Ille and Lokis.

 

Carmen and Other Stories is a pleasing collection of tales from Prosper Mérimée. Knowing the opera of Carmen well, I was interested to read the source material; although, as it turns out, this was not my favourite piece in the collection. The ones that stood out most for me were The Etruscan Vase, The Venus of Ille and Colomba. I enjoyed the pacing of the tales and the memorable characters, as well as the great sense of place Mérimée established in each piece. If you enjoy 19th century fiction and short stories, this anthology is well worth checking out. It gets 4.5 stars from me.

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