Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce Birth:

Ambrose Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 in Meigs County, Ohio. His father was Marcus Aurelius and his mother was Laura Sherwood Bierce. He was the youngest. Although details about his childhood are sketchy, we know that he left home in 1857 to live in Indiana, where he worked for an abolitionist newspaper.

Ambrose Bierce Death:

In 1913, at the age of 71, Ambrose Bierce disappeared into Mexico in the midst of a revolution. He went to fight alongside the bandit Pancho Villa. His death, like his life and work is shroaded in mystery. He may have been shot by Pancho Villa; or he may have died in the Battle of Ojinaga.

Ambrose Bierce Quotes:

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher."

"Egotist: a person more interested in himself than in me."

"Pray, n:. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy."

"The covers of this book are too far apart."

"There's nothing new under the sun, but there are lots of old things we don't know."

Ambrose Bierce Brief Biography & List of Works:

(1842-1914) American writer. Ambrose Bierce is known for his short story, "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge," and for his collection of humorous terms: "The Devil's Dictionary." In "Ambrose Bierce, A Biography," Carey McWilliams writes: "He has been characterized as great, bitter, idealistic, cynical, morose, frustrated, cheerful, bad, sadistic, obscure, perverted, famous, brutal, kind, a fiend, a God, a misanthrope, a poet, a realist who wrote romances, a fine satirist, and something of a charlatan."