Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company

Rating:
Summary: An illuminating & useful biography
Review: Ambrose Bierce was similar to J.R.R. Tolkien in one respect: traumatized by the horrors of war at a very young age. Bierce got his baptism of fire in the Civil War, especially at Shiloh, while Tolkien got his in World War I, especially at the battle of the Somme.

The two authors reacted in very different ways. Bierce apparently made an instant decision to hate the human race, and held that course for the rest of his days, while Tolkien apparently realized that the question of Evil had been raised for him, in terms for which his culture provided no sufficent answer. Tolkien's response was more interesting than Bierce's.

Bierce was a very witty and intelligent man, but he did devote most of his remaining years to venomous journalism of the worst sort, becoming widely known as the most fearsome Acid Pen in San Francisco. He had a disastrous marriage, was an extremely poor parent, and suffered the unimaginable pain of learning that his son had committed suicide at a very young age in a quarrel over a girl. His literary production was highly uneven (as was Mark Twain's) and it seems likely that he will go down in history for "The Devil's Dictionary" (where you will find that his definition for the word "alone" was "in bad company."

Quite a piece of work, this Ambrose Bierce. The biography is a good one.

Rating:
Summary: An illuminating & useful biography
Review: Ambrose Bierce was similar to J.R.R. Tolkien in one respect: traumatized by the horrors of war at a very young age. Bierce got his baptism of fire in the Civil War, especially at Shiloh, while Tolkien got his in World War I, especially at the battle of the Somme.

The two authors reacted in very different ways. Bierce apparently made an instant decision to hate the human race, and held that course for the rest of his days, while Tolkien apparently realized that the question of Evil had been raised for him, in terms for which his culture provided no sufficent answer. Tolkien's response was more interesting than Bierce's.

Bierce was a very witty and intelligent man, but he did devote most of his remaining years to venomous journalism of the worst sort, becoming widely known as the most fearsome Acid Pen in San Francisco. He had a disastrous marriage, was an extremely poor parent, and suffered the unimaginable pain of learning that his son had committed suicide at a very young age in a quarrel over a girl. His literary production was highly uneven (as was Mark Twain's) and it seems likely that he will go down in history for "The Devil's Dictionary" (where you will find that his definition for the word "alone" was "in bad company."

Quite a piece of work, this Ambrose Bierce. The biography is a good one.

Rating:
Summary: Routine rehash of previous biographies.
Review: I'd just finished reading AB's civil war stories. This book goes far in explaining Bierce's outlook on war & humanity(or the lack of it). It cements in my mind the deciding factor I think in Bierce's growth as a writer was the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: Definative Bio of Bierce
Review: This book gives insight into one of the American literary greats. There are times that the book drags, but I think this is due as much to the author as to the fact that some moments in Bierce's life are so interesting that when you read about the "average" moments in his life, you are left, well , bored. This is a good book for a Bierce fan or someone that would like to learn about an American writer who, deservedly, lived in the shadow of Twain.

Rating:
Summary: A momentum-gaining insight into a man for all eras
Review: While early on the book lagged, it built momentum to the point where I had a hard time putting it down. Examining the circumstances that produced this complicated individual proved fascinating and heartbreaking. Outside events and Bierce himself conspired to find misery and disappointment at every turn. The book is sympathetic to Bierce, but not fawning- he's not praised as a great writer, but he is acknowledged to be the best writer among Civil War veterans. His newspaper columns are also praised, and the erosion of his patriotism after what he saw in the war (not just at Shiloh) is something that can be best understood by post Vietnam-era readers. Many of the cited quotes (particularly the bitingly critical ones) contain a sharp wit that can't be missed. I enjoyed the book and it encouraged me to read more about the era. Bierce was in many ways a forerunner of Walter Winchell (read Neal Gabler's great bio) and you can also see traces of modern observational humorists such as George Carlin. Piece of advice, though- don't tell anyone that they remind you of Bierce!

Rating:
Summary: A momentum-gaining insight into a man for all eras
Review: who has always been one of my favorite authors . . . another reveiwer,here, mentioned this was not as good as previous biographies . . . but since i have not read any others about him, i can't comment on that . . . i did find this book to be well-written and interesting.