Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) was an American editorialist, journalist, short-story writer and satirist.

Bierce served in the American Civil War, and received severe injuries in 1864. After the war, Bierce began his writing career. From roughly 1870 through the end of his life, Bierce produced a substanial body fiction in several genres, as well as non-fiction.

Bierce's personal life was rather tragic. His two sons predeceased him, and he eventually divorced his wife. In October, 1913, he traveled to Mexico to cover the Revolution more personally. For a time, he rode with Pancho Villa's army. However, after a last letter send to a friend in December, 1913, Bierce vanished. His ultimate fate remains a tantalizing mystery to this day.

Literary Note
The title of Harry Turtledove's The Victorious Opposition is derived from Bierce's work The Devil's Dictionary. Manicheism is defined as "The ancient Persian doctrine of an incessant warfare between Good and Evil. When Good gave up the fight, the Persians joined the victorious opposition."

Ambrose Bierce in In High Places
Jacob Klein found Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary a very useful and insightful work, and particularly enjoyed Bierce's biting sense of humor. When his daughter, Annette, was taken into slavery along with Jacques, she found some wisdom in Bierce's cynicism, even bonding with Jacques while sharing Bierce's words (although Jacques was leery of anything called The Devil's Wordbook).

Ambrose Bierce in Atlantis
Ambrose Bierce was an Atlantean writer and satirist. Athelstan Helms found Bierce's writings to be unusually wise for an Atlantean.