Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 â€" circa 1914) was an American
short story writer, journalist, poet, and Civil War veteran. His book
The Devil's Dictionary was named as one of "The 100 Greatest
Masterpieces of American Literature" by the American Revolution
Bicentennial Administration. His story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge" has been described as "one of the most famous and frequently
anthologized stories in American literature"; and his book Tales of
Soldiers and Civilians (also published as In the Midst of Life) was
named by the Grolier Club as one of the 100 most influential American
books printed before 1900.A prolific and versatile writer, Bierce was
regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United
States, and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. For his horror
writing, Michael Dirda ranked him alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P.
Lovecraft. S. T. Joshi speculates that he may well be the greatest
satirist America has ever produced, and in this regard can take his
place with such figures as Juvenal, Swift, and Voltaire. His war
stories influenced Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, and others, and he
was considered an influential and feared literary critic. In recent
decades Bierce has gained wider respect as a fabulist and for his
poetry.In December 1913, Bierce traveled to Chihuahua, Mexico, to gain
first-hand experience of the Mexican Revolution. He disappeared, and
was rumored to be traveling with rebel troops. He was never seen
again.Bierce was born in a log cabin at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs
County, Ohio, on June 24, 1842, to Marcus Aurelius Bierce
(1799â€"1876) and Laura Sherwood Bierce. He was of entirely English
ancestry: all of his forebears came to North America between 1620 and
1640 as part of the Great Puritan Migration. He often wrote critically
of both "Puritan values" and people who "made a fuss" about genealogy.
He was the tenth of thirteen children, all of whom were given names by
their father beginning with the letter "A": in order of birth, the
Bierce siblings were Abigail, Amelia, Ann, Addison, Aurelius,
Augustus, Almeda, Andrew, Albert, Ambrose, Arthur, Adelia, and
Aurelia. His mother was a descendant of William Bradford. Ambrose Bierce Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter