Ambrose Bierce

Author profile

born

June 24, 1842 in Meigs County, Ohio, The United States

gender

male

genre

Short Stories, Nonfiction, Poetry

About this author

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Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was an American editorialist, journalist, short story writer, fabulist and satirist. Today, he is best known for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his satirical lexicon, The Devil's Dictionary.

The sardonic view of human nature that informed his work – along with his vehemence as a critic, with his motto "nothing matters" – earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."

Despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, Bierce was known to encourage younger writers, including poet George Sterling and fiction writer W. C. Morrow.

Bierce employed a distinctive style of writing, especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descr...more

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Books by Ambrose Bierce

Average rating: 4.06 · 10,110 ratings · 822 reviews · 379 distinct works

	An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge 4.01 avg rating — 2,668 ratings — published 1890 — 34 editions	My rating:
	The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, David E. Schultz (Editor), S. T. Joshi (Editor) 4.15 avg rating — 3,067 ratings — published 1911 — 166 editions	My rating:
	The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce by Ambrose Bierce, Ernest J. Hopkins (Editor), Ernest Jerome Hopkins (Editor) 4.24 avg rating — 499 ratings — published 1971 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Ghost and Horror Stories of Ambrose Bierce by Ambrose Bierce, Everett F. Bleiler (Editor) 4.16 avg rating — 472 ratings — published 1964 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Civil War Stories by Ambrose Bierce, Candace Ward (Editor), Dover Thrift Editions 3.89 avg rating — 232 ratings — published 1988 — 3 editions	My rating:
	An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories by Ambrose Bierce (Author), Susan L. Rattiner (Editor; with a biographical note), Dover Thrift Editions 3.86 avg rating — 168 ratings — published 1890 — 12 editions	My rating:
	Great Ghost Stories by Ambrose Bierce, E.G. Swain, Charles Dickens 3.90 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 1992 — 2 editions	My rating:
	Tales of Soldiers and Civilians by Ambrose Bierce, Tom Quirk (editor) 4.12 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 1969 — 20 editions	My rating:
	The Raven/The Monkey's Paw: Classics of Horror & Suspense by Ambrose Bierce, Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens 4.14 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 1998	My rating:
	The Devil's Dictionary and Other Works by Ambrose Bierce (Author), Gahan Wilson (Illustrator) 3.92 avg rating — 72 ratings — published 1991	My rating:

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Quotes by Ambrose Bierce

“The covers of this book are too far apart.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: books , criticism , humor , wit

1,122 people liked it

“Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.”
― Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

tags: insanity , love , marriage

935 people liked it

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.”
― Ambrose Bierce

tags: anger , anger-management , remaining-silent

385 people liked it

See all Ambrose Bierce's quotes »

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