The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter: Classic Tales Edition

Written by Ambrose Bierce

Narrated by B.J. Harrison

A knot of monks happens upon a gallows in the middle of a dark forest. Hanging from the gallows is a fresh corpse, and underneath the dangling wretch a young woman performs a haunting dance. When Ambrosius falls in love with this outcast woman, his efforts to suppress his natural feelings result in a gradual descent toward calamity and tragedy.

Bierce’s subtle transformation of the monk Ambrosius from innocent monk to violent zealot is masterfully done, ranking this among Bierce’s finest achievements.

• Language: English
• Publisher: B.J. Harrison
• Release date: Oct 9, 2016
• ISBN: 9781950524013

Ambrose Bierce

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) was an American novelist and short story writer. Born in Meigs County, Ohio, Bierce was raised Indiana in a poor family who treasured literature and extolled the value of education. Despite this, he left school at 15 to work as a printer’s apprentice, otherwise known as a “devil”, for the Northern Indianan, an abolitionist newspaper. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he enlisted in the Union infantry and was present at some of the conflict’s most harrowing events, including the Battle of Shiloh in 1862. During the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in 1864, Bierce—by then a lieutenant—suffered a serious brain injury and was discharged the following year. After a brief re-enlistment, he resigned from the Army and settled in San Francisco, where he worked for years as a newspaper editor and crime reporter. In addition to his career in journalism, Bierce wrote a series of realist stories including “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and “Chickamauga,” which depict the brutalities of warfare while emphasizing the psychological implications of violence. In 1906, he published The Devil’s Dictionary, a satirical dictionary compiled from numerous installments written over several decades for newspapers and magazines. In 1913, he accompanied Pancho Villa’s army as an observer of the Mexican Revolution and disappeared without a trace at the age of 71.

Reviews for The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter

[starbox_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

93 p novella, purporting to be adapted from an ancient German text.Narrated by young monk Ambrosius, sent to a monastery in Alpine Bavaria. He he encounters the "untouchable" hangman and his lovely daughter Benedikta. She too is- by reason of her parentage- a social outcast, yet Ambrosius begins to fall in love.Our narrator seems - apart from his romantic feelings- a spiritually minded youth, ever dwelling on his vocation, and the majesty of nature.But Benedikt is being pursued by a worthless young noble- Rochus.......and an unexpected twist brings the tale to a sudden end.Quite an involving read.