CARMEN is an 1845 novella by French author Prosper Merimee. It has been adapted into a number of dramatic works, including the famous opera by Georges Bizet. The novella comprises four parts. Only the first three appeared in the original publication in the October 1, 1845 issue of the Revue des Deux Mondes; the fourth first appeared in the book publication in 1846. Merimee tells the story as if it had really happened to him on his trip to Spain in 1830.