Showing results by author "Ambrose Bierce" in All Categories

Author Ambrose Bierce (June 24, 1842-c. 1914) was a prolific and versatile writer regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the United States and as a pioneering writer of realist fiction. His horror writing is ranked alongside Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. He may well be the greatest satirist America has ever produced.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. In this volume the Mad Scientist takes centre stage. Naturally the stories come in all shapes and sizes and in the pens of our classic authors the scientists more usually arrive as dark, twisted and evil as they go about their work illuminating humanity as only a mad scientist can.

As the Century draws to a close it shows no sign of its literary talents diminishing. Authors stride into stories with a confidence and knowledge that now speak of a gilded age. We are challenged on many levels but always, always the story delivers a literary triumph.

The American literary tradition has, in a far shorter span of time than others throughout history, achieved a glowing and glittering reputation. From its transatlantic roots it has absorbed the sons and daughters of other cultures, other lands and made them part of her own. Within this melting pot of styles, genres and wordplay one fact stands out: In the American short story, literary tradition has a strong, vibrant and almost inclusive history, if you know where to look.

Experience the bone-chilling terror of Ambrose Bierce's "The Damned Thing," a revolutionary horror tale that dares to imagine the unseen predator lurking just beyond human perception. When a man is savagely killed in the wilderness, witnesses describe an invisible force that defies explanation—a creature that exists in colors beyond the human eye's capability. Bierce's masterful blend of scientific speculation and primal fear creates an atmosphere of inescapable dread that will haunt listeners long after they finish listening.

In this series we listen to short stories that are NOT by perhaps the most well-known author of this type. But the many other rich talents in the volume may have treated the subject matter a little differently, or were perhaps just overlooked in the stampede to applaud the winner, but these authors are of equal merit.

Love. Perhaps the one word solution for everything. An emotion, a state of mind that we strive for, search for. A wondrous force that binds, inspires, and a force that can spin out of control; unbalanced and fragile. Love reflects, changes and embraces us all. The capture of love in this life is a very special happening, it may only strike us once, and for some perhaps never. But what if those on the ‘other side’ have designs on us? What if their desire is just so strong that we can’t resist? Can true love survive?

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. This decade is resplendent with literature and its many prodigiously talented authors who write on as varied a range of subjects as might be thought possible. Yet each is studded with careful literary precision and narrative verve. It is a remarkable decade.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. The plains of the American Mid-West are home to some very fine exponents of the literary craft. Throughout this vast landscape stories seem to be everywhere offering their experiences as works just awaiting the final touches and flourishes of these famed authors. They deliver in very talented ways.

Short stories have always been a sort of instant access into an author’s brain, their soul and heart. They can lift our lives into locations, people and experiences with a sweep of landscape, narration, feelings and emotions that is difficult to achieve elsewhere. For America, as the century closes, she is becoming less isolated. Her industrial might, her rising military power are pulling her ever closer into the entangled globe of nations. Her authors flex ideas and lexicons with riveting tales of this astonishing society.

Diplomacy by other means may, at times, sound heroic. A fight for principles and ideals carried out by young men armed to the teeth and directed by older men in pursuit of their own version of glory for themselves and their Nations. Right will triumph over wrong. But war can be an illusion, stirred up by schemers and opportunists to take something from other nations that may or may not be right. As blood and limb are sacrificed the true cost is seen but often set to one side as the dispute becomes embedded in emotions and reason falls away.

Step into the dark and intriguing world of Ambrose Bierce with "A Diagnosis of Death". Known for his masterful storytelling and biting wit, Bierce weaves a tale that explores the fine line between life and death, sanity and madness.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed.

In the American Civil War that began in 1861 the War was seemingly fought to end Slavery. A War for Good. The result a win for the good guys but a society that still bears fractures from this seminal period. The stories in this volume show the true scars that are endured as a riven Nations authors try to explain and reconcile.

The world since earliest times has always had spies. Information is a valuable commodity and even more so in times of war or tension. Many authors and poets have had real life incarnations as spies from Christopher Marlowe and Aphra Behn to Daniel Defoe. But it’s a dangerous game. Working in a murky, secretive world where any trust given could be at the expense of your life.

Ambrose Bierce’s haunting short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a gripping tale of suspense and psychological depth. Set during the American Civil War, it follows the fate of Peyton Farquhar, a Confederate sympathizer who is condemned to hang at Owl Creek Bridge. As the noose tightens, Farquhar experiences a vivid dream of escape, leading to a startling and unforgettable conclusion.

In The Damned Thing, Ambrose Bierce presents a chilling tale of the unknown and unseen. Told through the recollections of eyewitnesses at an inquest, the story revolves around the mysterious and violent death of Hugh Morgan, a man who had been haunted by a terrifying, invisible force. As the witnesses recount their eerie experiences, the tension builds, leaving the listener with a sense of dread and the realization that some things are beyond human comprehension.

"Una tumba sin fondo" es un relato del autor estadounidense Ambrose Bierce que se sumerge en el terror y lo sobrenatural. La historia sigue a un hombre que, intrigado por las leyendas locales, decide explorar una cueva profunda conocida como "La tumba sin fondo". A medida que avanza en su aventura, se encuentra con sucesos inexplicables y presencias malignas que desafían su cordura y ponen en peligro su vida. Bierce teje una trama llena de suspense y horror, explorando temas como el miedo a lo desconocido y los límites de la percepción humana.

Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce was born on 24th June 1842 at Horse Cave Creek in Meigs County, Ohio. His parents were poor but they introduced him to literature at an early age, instilling in him a deep appreciation of books, the written word and the elegance of language. In 1891 Bierce wrote and published the collection of 26 short stories which included ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’. Success and further works including poetry followed.