Ambrose Bierce (1842–c.1914), known as "Bitter Bierce," was a cynical, unhappy man with a sharp, satirical wit. Born in Ohio, he grew up in a large, poor family. An unhappy childhood followed by exposure to unimaginable brutality during the Civil War combined to create in Bierce the pessimism that became the dominant trait of his character and his fiction. After spending a year at a military academy, Bierce joined the Union army, rising to the rank of lieutenant. He was a distinguished soldier and participated in several major battles. His war experiences provided material for some of his best stories, including "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and "Chickamuga."

After the war Bierce worked as a journalist in San Francisco, establishing himself through witty, satirical columns as a major literary figure in that rough-and-tumble frontier city. There he counted among his friends such major writers as Mark Twain and Bret Harte.

Throughout his life disaster plagued him: his marriage ended in divorce, one son was killed in a fight, and another son died of alcoholism. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico, which was in civil war. There he disappeared without a trace. His greatest legacy, besides his humorous, if grotesque The Devil's Dictionary, was a handful of stories acclaimed today for their suspense and psychological realism.