Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – circa 1914) was an American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer. In Bierce’s lifetime, eminent critic William Dean Howells said “Mr. Bierce is among our three greatest writers.” When told this, Bierce responded, “I am sure Mr. Howells is the other two.” Today Bierce is best known for his "howlingly funny" book The Devil's Dictionary, which was named as one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration; for his story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” which is frequently anthologized and has been adapted into stage, radio, film, and television dramas more than a dozen times; and for his book Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (also published as In the Midst of Life), which was named by the Grolier Club as one of the 100 most influential American books printed before 1900. In addition, Bierce has been called “the one genuine wit that These States have ever seen” by H. L. Mencken and “one of our preeminent satirists”. A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce has earned recognition as “at the peak of his career, one of the most influential journalists in the United States,” as “arguably the most important American writer of horror fiction—whether physical, psychological or supernatural—between Poe and Lovecraft,” as a pioneering writer of realist fiction, as a writer of war stories who “was a demonstrable influence on Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and many others,” and as an influential—and feared—literary critic. In recent decades Bierce has gained wider respect as a fabulist because “both the quantity and consistently high quality of Ambrose Bierce’s fables should guarantee them a place in the canon of American literature,” and for his talent as “a poet, one who occupies a unique niche in nineteenth-century American verse.” In December 1913, Bierce traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico to gain first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops, and was never seen again. 2Early life Bierce was born in a log cabin at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio, on June 24, 1842, to Marcus Aurelius Bierce (1799–1876) and Laura Sherwood Bierce. His mother was a descendant of William Bradfor