"Carmen" by Prosper Mérimée is a novella written and first published in 1845. In the lonely hills of Andalusia, a scholar meets a notorious outlaw named Don José, who tells the tale of his tragic downfall. His story revolves around Carmen, a captivating Romani woman whose fierce independence and refusal to be tamed leads to jealousy, violence, and death. This dark narrative of passion and fate later inspired Bizet's famous opera.