Prosper Mérimée published his famous romantic novella in 1847, which served as the basis for Georges Bizet's opera of the same name from 1875: When the impulsive gypsy beauty Carmen, a worker in a tobacco factory in Seville, stabs another worker during a quarrel, the soldier José helps her escape. This sets off a dramatic amour fou: On one hand, Carmen assures José that she loves him, yet she repeatedly withdraws from him. In order to be close to her, José descends further into despair and even becomes a member of a gypsy gang. Ultimately, José plans to flee with his beloved to America, but Carmen does not want to give up her free life as a gypsy.