Few authors have divided the opinions of readers more than Prosper Mérimée. His stories and novellas are remarkable for their punch and playfulness, but some critics have accused Mérimée of lacking the breadth and substance necessary for the "more serious" genre of the full-length novel. Hailed by some as the master of short prose, he is dismissed by others as a dilettante. Perhaps most renowned for his innovations in narrative technique, he is also impressive for his extraordinary versatility, adding to his reputation as a writer of fiction the credentials of historian, linguist, archaeologist, and translator. He is best remembered, however, for his creative works, the most famous of which, Carmen, is best known today in the operative form Georges Bizet gave it in 1875. Many of Mérimée's lesser-known works are not only fascinating in their own...