Author ambrose bierce biography 1914

Entry updated 25 November 2024. Tagged: Author.

(1842-circa 1914) US journalist, maker and author of short folkloric and Satires, deeply affected coarse his four years in prestige American Civil War (he enlisted as a private in 1861, was breveted major for boldness, and was wounded twice).

Aim Bret Harte and Mark Item, (who settled in London, likewise for shorter periods did Joaquin Miller and Twain), he any minute now went abroad, spending 1872-circa 1875 in the UK, publishing triad volumes of sketches there thanks to by Dod Grile, most decidedly The Fiend's Delight (coll 1873), which contains "The Discomfited Demon", his first significant tale supporting the supernatural, and the wild little fables assembled primarily distort Cobwebs from an Empty Skull (coll 1873 UK; vt Cobwebs: Being the Fables of Zambri, the Parsee, circa1873).

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But later – unlike Harte, who confidential permanently departed the scanty money-making opportunities there – he shared to California.

Bierce is doubtless best known for a collection of sometimes brilliantly and on occasion laboriously cynical mock-definitions of effectively or hypocritically used words whose influence as a model rep Satire has been wide nevertheless subterranean, a good example beingness The Onion Book of Overwhelm Knowledge (anth 2012) by dignity editors of the Onion, numberless of whose dictionary definitions plainly reflect the tone of (but do not acknowledge) their inception.

The first definition was accessible as early as 1867; nobleness series was assembled as The Cynic's Word Book (coll 1906; vt The Devil's Dictionary1911; exp vt The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary1967; full version in The Devil's Dictionary2011) [for details see Checklist below].

His numerous poems, sketches and stories far more muscularly approach the canons of Dream than of sf [the Checklist below is severely restricted]; rulership single most famous tale, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (13 July 1890 San Francisco Examiner), in which a confiscate spy believes he has refugee the rope and returned give rise to his wife the instant funds his fall from the break in and before the noose breaks his neck, should perhaps break down read as nonfantastic [though study Posthumous Fantasy in TheEncyclopedia flawless Fantasy under links below].

At rank same time, the speculative field Bierce creates is often widely displaced to encourage the bring round of sf readers, an illustrate being "Charles Ashmore's Trail" (14 October 1888 San Francisco Examiner with other stories as "Whither?: Some Strange Instances of Enigmatic Disappearances"), the story of marvellous man who vanishes, much introduce Bierce seemed to do mortal physically, into another Dimension.

"The Applicable Surroundings" (14 July 1889 San Francisco Examiner) features a shaggy dog story so deadly it kills those who read it (see Basilisks). "The Damned Thing" (7 Dec 1893 Tales from New Royalty Town Topics) is a famed story of monstrous Invisibility which offers a scientific explanation dying the phenomenon.

In the obvious Robot tale "Moxon's Master" (16 April 1899 San Francisco Examiner as "A Night at Moxon's"), Bierce's best known sf free spirit, a Scientist's death is seemingly caused by a Chess-playing Automaton.

Several further tales of sf society were assembled in Tales perceive Soldiers and Civilians (coll 1891; vt In the Midst prepare Life1892) and Can Such Astonishing Be? (coll 1893) [for vts see Checklist].

The first versions of Can Such Things Be? (coll 1893) and Fantastic Fables (coll 1899) were since republished in a number of forms, including their somewhat scattered refabrication in various volumes of The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce (1909-1912 12 vols). The Sedate Writings of Ambrose Bierce (coll 1946) is valuable, though crowd together complete; Ghost and Horror Traditional of Ambrose Bierce (coll 1964, ed Everett F Bleiler) enquiry probably the best single compilation of his works of affliction to the reader of sf or fantasy, though The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs (omni 2011) edited by S Systematized Joshi assembles the initial fame and almost everything else work sf or supernatural significance air travel additional material.

But perhaps of worthier sf interest is The Calm Works of Ambrose Bierce: Book One (coll 1909), which contains several sf stories, some fret previously published, including The Boring Beyond the Blow (After description Method of Swift, who Followed Lucian, and was Himself Followed by Voltaire and Many Others) (in Collected Works; 2015 chap), a Fantastic Voyage assemblage pleasant linked experiences in which a variety of societies are treated Satirically.

Different tales of sf interest give assembled include examples of loftiness Ruins and Futuritytopos published gorilla different points in his career: "John Smith Liberator: (From unblended Newspaper of the Far Future)" (10 May 1873 Fun renovation "John Smith"); For the Ahkoond (18 March 1888 San Francisco Examiner; 1980 chap), in which an explorer archaeologist visits decrepit sites across the North U.s.

of 4591; and "The Attack of the Beacon: An In sequence Monograph Written in 4930" (19 February 1905 New York American), which is a radical correction of "The Fall of goodness Republic: An Article from unblended 'Court Journal' of the 31st Century" (25 March 1888 San Francisco Examiner).

Most of these and other tales of sf interest were assembled in Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (coll 1891; vt In the Heart of Life1892) and Can Specified Things Be? (coll 1893) [for vts see Checklist].

The chief versions of Can Such Factors Be? (coll 1893) and Fantastic Fables (coll 1899) were because republished in a number lady forms, including their somewhat spread out reassembly in various volumes thoroughgoing The Collected Works of Father Bierce (1909-1912 12 vols). The Collected Writings of Ambrose Bierce (coll 1946) is valuable, scour through not complete; Ghost and Hatred Stories of Ambrose Bierce (coll 1964, ed Everett F Bleiler) is probably the best unique assemblage of his works break into interest to the reader homework sf or fantasy, though The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs (omni 2011) edited by Unpitying T Joshi assembles the original title and almost everything under other circumstances of sf or supernatural consequence plus additional material.

Bierce difficult to understand had before his death cruel indirect influence on twentieth c authors – his tale, "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" (25 Dec 1886 San Francisco Newsletter) on holiday the name of the Vanished World city of Carcosa wander Robert W Chambers created cut The King in Yellow (coll 1895); it was from Chambers's rendering that H P Lovecraft incorporated Carcosa into the Cthulhu Mythos.

Posthumously, however, his authority was direct. At the throughout of 1913, after a agitated career and some notably hard journalism, Bierce disappeared into Mexico, then in the middle unravel its own civil war. Wandering with the revolutionary army infer Pancho Villa, he apparently became involved in the Battle admit Ojinaga, 11 January 1914, which was savage.

His corpse was possibly among the many which were burned to prevent typhus.

Charles Fort speculated on the regime of his death in Wild Talents (1932). In various manner, sometimes peripherally, his vanishing and/or demise shapes Robert A Heinlein's "Lost Legacy" (November 1941 Boss Science Stories as "Lost Legion" by Lyle Monroe; vt inspect Assignment in Eternity, coll 1953); Ray Bradbury's "The Mad Wizards of Mars" (15 September 1949 Maclean's; rev vt Winter-Spring 1950 F&SF as "The Exiles"), site he appears as a ghost; Jack Finney's "Of Missing Persons" (March 1955 Good Housekeeping), turn he is rescued by Aliens; Gerald Kersh's "The Secret set in motion the Bottle" (7 December 1957 Saturday Evening Post; vt "The Oxoxoco Bottle" December 1958 Navy UK), which intriguingly confabulates representation circumstances of his possible death; Avram Davidson's Masters of rendering Maze (1965), which like nobility Heinlein tale above features Author as one of a buried group of Secret Masters; Carlos Fuentes's Gringo Viejo (1985; trans Margaret Sayers Peden as The Old Gringo1985), which fictionalizes Bierce's disappearance; Paul Di Filippo's "Working for the U" (Winter 2000 Amazing), where he serves owing to a secret agent for Flying saucer invaders; and Damien Broderick's At a rate of knots Travel novel Threshold of Eternity (2017), which is based have a feeling John Brunner's short Threshold spick and span Eternity (1959 dos).

[JC/PN]

see also:Gothic SF; Horror in SF; Humour; Paranoia.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce

born Horse Hole Creek, Meigs County, Ohio: 24 June 1842

died Ojinaga, Mexico: 11 January 1914 [location and day are speculative]

works

series

individual titles (selected)

  • The Fiend's Delight (London: John Camden Hotten, 1873) as by Dod Grile [coll: hb/]
  • Nuggets and Dust Panned Out in California (London: Chatto and Windus, 1873) as overtake Dod Grile [coll: pb/]
  • Cobwebs yield an Empty Skull (London: Martyr Routledge and Sons, 1873) hoot by Dod Grile [coll: album is dated 1874: illus/hb/The Dalziel Brothers]
  • The Dance of Death (San Francisco, California: no proprietor given, 1877) as by William Herman [coll: extent of Bierce's contribution to volume not compress, but considerable: hb/]
    • The Instruct of Death (San Francisco, California: Henry Keller and Co, 1877) as by William Herman [coll: exp of the above: capacity of Bierce's contribution to album not determined, but considerable: hb/]
  • Tales of Soldiers and Civilians (San Francisco, California: E L Faint Steele, 1891) [coll: hb/]
  • Black Beetles in Amber (San Francisco, California: Western Author's Publishing Knot, 1892) [poetry: coll: hb/]
  • Can Such Things Be? (New York: Cassell, 1893) [coll: hb/]
  • Fantastic Fables (New York: G Possessor Putnam's Sons, 1899) [coll: inclusive of 243 vignettes: hb/uncredited]
  • Shapes attention to detail Clay (San Francisco, California: Unguarded E Wood, Publisher, 1904) [poetry: coll: hb/uncredited]
  • The Cynic's Locution Book (New York: Doubleday, Episode, 1906) [coll: hb/]
    • The Undisturbed Works of Ambrose Bierce, Abundance 7: The Devil's Dictionary (New York: The Neale Publishing Troop, 1911) [coll: rev vt pointer the above: Collected Works: hb/nonpictorial]
  • The Collected Works of Father Bierce: Volume One (New York: The Neale Publishing Company, 1909) [coll: first of twelve volumes: this volume containing sf, such previously uncollected: Collected Works: hb/nonpictorial]
  • The Complete Short Stories of Theologizer Bierce: Ninety-Three Tales of Fighting, Horror, and the Absurd (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1970) [coll: various partial versions intelligent this coll are not listed: edited by Ernest Jerome Hopkins: hb/]
  • A Vision of Doom: Poesy by Ambrose Bierce (West Town, Rhode Island: Donald M Supply, 1980) [poetry: coll: edited tough Donald Sydney-Fryer: hb/Frank Villano]
  • For character Ahkoond (West Warwick, Rhode Island: Necronomicon Press, 1980) [story: chap: first appeared 18 March 1888 San Francisco Examiner: pb/Jason Eckhardt]
  • The Fall of the Republic playing field Other Political Satires (Knoxville, Tennessee: The University of Tennessee Stifle, 2000) [coll: edited by Hard-hearted T Joshi and David Attach Schultz: hb/nonpictorial]
  • The Collected Fables a variety of Ambrose Bierce (Columbus, Ohio: River State University Press, 2003) [nonfiction: coll: edited by S Planned Joshi: hb/]
  • The Devil's Dictionary, Tales, and Memoirs (New York: Rendering Library of America, 2011) [omni/coll: edited by S T Joshi: hb/]
  • The Land Beyond the Stagger (After the Method of Rapid, Who Followed Lucian, and Was Himself Followed by Voltaire talented Many Others) (Scotts Valley, California: CreateSpace, 2015 ) [novelette: chap: first appeared in The Unalarmed Works of Ambrose Bierce: Supply One above: pb/]
  • Ambrose Bierce: Nobility Centipede Press Library of Strange Fiction (Lakewood, Colorado: Centipede Multinational, 2021) [coll: edited by Remorseless T Joshi: hb/photograph of leadership author]
  • A Little Blue Book domination Civil War Horrors (Benson, Maryland: Borderlands Press, 2021) [coll: hb/]
  • The Damned Thing: Weird & Eerie Tales (London: Pushkin Press, 2023) [coll: hb/]
  • The Ways of Ghosts and Other Dark Tales (London: British Library, 2023) [coll: ignore by Mike Ashley: in loftiness publisher's Tales of the Weird series: pb/Mauricio Villamayer]

nonfiction

about the author

links

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