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The Civil War Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce
In The Devil's Dictionary Ambrose Bierce defined "war" as "a by-product of the arts of peace." A Civil War veteran, Bierce had absolutely no illusions about "courage," "honor," and "glory" on the battlefield. These stories form one of the great antiwar statements in American literature. Included here are the classic An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Chickamauga, The Mocking Bird, The Coup de Grâce, Parker Anderson, Philosopher, and other stories celebrated for their intensity, startling insight, and mastery of form.
139 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1988
About the author
Ambrose Bierce
2,506 books1,335 followersdied perhaps 1914
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
Caustic wit and a strong sense of horror mark works, including In the Midst of Life (1891-1892) and The Devil's Dictionary (1906), of American writer Ambrose Gwinett Bierce.
People today best know this editorialist, journalist, and fabulist for his short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and his lexicon.
The informative sardonic view of human nature alongside his vehemence as a critic with his motto, "nothing matters," earned him the nickname "Bitter Bierce."
People knew Bierce despite his reputation as a searing critic, however, to encourage younger poet George Sterling and fiction author W.C. Morrow.
Bierce employed a distinctive style especially in his stories. This style often embraces an abrupt beginning, dark imagery, vague references to time, limited descriptions, the theme of war, and impossible events.
Bierce disappeared in December 1913 at the age of 71 years. People think that he traveled to Mexico to gain a firsthand perspective on ongoing revolution of that country.
Theories abound on a mystery, ultimate fate of Bierce. He in one of his final letters stated: "Good-bye. If you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags, please know that I think it is a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico--ah, that is euthanasia!"
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 4, 2007
this book reminded me of how happy i am to have been born after the invention of anesthesia. the american civil war really sucked.
March 10, 2022
This collection highlights the realism and unique characteristics of the prose of Ambrose Bierce. A veteran of the war, Bierce brings his experience to bear on episodes that range from the merely quirky to the tragic. His prose exhibits the style that made him one of the great journalists of nineteenth century America.
June 3, 2021
Occasionally inscrutable, often beautiful and always considering what war, in all its permutations, does to a land and its people, Bierce’s writing in this collection is essential.
January 1, 2023
Need to read this one, I have it.
Bierce i think was an Indiana boy too, which is me.
You may check this:
Raintree County by Ross Lockgridge is a good one too, the movie not so much.
Had James Dean lived another year he could've made it a good flick. Monty Clift is a pale comparison.
Bierce i think was an Indiana boy too, which is me.
You may check this:
Raintree County by Ross Lockgridge is a good one too, the movie not so much.
Had James Dean lived another year he could've made it a good flick. Monty Clift is a pale comparison.
February 24, 2020
One cruel irony follows another in these horror stories drawn from a war replete with them. The soldier's-eye-view gives these stories a graphic realism. I live in a state covered with Civil War sites, and the facts of history alone paint the picture of the horrors of that war.
I foolishly read these before bed--not exactly light reading. Not that I am squeamish or over-sensitive, but the stories caused me to mull over the randomness of tragedy, especially when bullets and shells are flying. (Then again, so do the headlines on a regular basis.)
So, after reading nearly half the collection, I lay awake and looked up at the gorgeously clear, imperturbable stars that, nearly 160 years ago, looked down on just such agonies right here on the spot where we live. Men killed at random by lead flying across hundreds of yards, or bayoneted up close by former countrymen. Basically, the Hutus and Tutsis, American-style. (Well, not quite, but according to A.B.) Once again, the Civil War came close. Because it *is* close. A century-and-a-half is barely a blip in the grand scheme of history, and it happened right here, all over here. The nearest city changed hands so many times it became known as "the shuttlecock of the Confederacy."
The bare facts of Bierce's Wikipedia page (could he ever have imagined such a thing?) state that one of his sons committed suicide and another died of what was essentially alcoholism. His marriage was another casualty by divorce, after the discovery of "compromising letters from an admirer" in his wife's possession. One can only peer through these facts and guess what it must have been like living with a war veteran who, in addition to a traumatic brain injury, was possessed of a bitterly satirical frame of mind. While betrayal and faithlessness are inexcusable, it can't have been easy. His stories read like an attempted exorcism of post-traumatic stress. After reading the final piece (The Bivouac of the Dead), his disappearance seems especially poignant.
I foolishly read these before bed--not exactly light reading. Not that I am squeamish or over-sensitive, but the stories caused me to mull over the randomness of tragedy, especially when bullets and shells are flying. (Then again, so do the headlines on a regular basis.)
So, after reading nearly half the collection, I lay awake and looked up at the gorgeously clear, imperturbable stars that, nearly 160 years ago, looked down on just such agonies right here on the spot where we live. Men killed at random by lead flying across hundreds of yards, or bayoneted up close by former countrymen. Basically, the Hutus and Tutsis, American-style. (Well, not quite, but according to A.B.) Once again, the Civil War came close. Because it *is* close. A century-and-a-half is barely a blip in the grand scheme of history, and it happened right here, all over here. The nearest city changed hands so many times it became known as "the shuttlecock of the Confederacy."
The bare facts of Bierce's Wikipedia page (could he ever have imagined such a thing?) state that one of his sons committed suicide and another died of what was essentially alcoholism. His marriage was another casualty by divorce, after the discovery of "compromising letters from an admirer" in his wife's possession. One can only peer through these facts and guess what it must have been like living with a war veteran who, in addition to a traumatic brain injury, was possessed of a bitterly satirical frame of mind. While betrayal and faithlessness are inexcusable, it can't have been easy. His stories read like an attempted exorcism of post-traumatic stress. After reading the final piece (The Bivouac of the Dead), his disappearance seems especially poignant.
June 11, 2007
i love this guy. his stories are allllllllll about StRuCtUrE, yA'LL. start each one and wait for the main character to FINALLY feel the existential paralysis.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews