Ambrose Bierce (1842–circa 1914) was an American writer, journalist, and satirist who wrote darkly witty short stories and the famously cynical The Devil’s Dictionary. He served as a Union soldier during the Civil War and used his battlefield experiences to craft stark, haunting war stories, including the renowned “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.” His sharp, ironic tone and fascination with death, absurdity, and human nature’s darker side defined much of his work. In 1913, Bierce traveled to Mexico and mysteriously vanished, leaving his ultimate fate unknown.