Ambrose Bierce: THE MONK AND THE HANGMAN'S DAUGHTER

Written by Ambrose Bierce

Narrated by philip chenevert

A tragic but captivating tale of a naive young Franciscan monk in the 17th century. Told from his point of view, he describes being sent to a remote monastery in Germany along with several others of his order and their travel through strange new territories. Meeting the local hangman's daughter, who is shunned and despised by the local populace because of her father's occupation, he is overcome with Christian concern for her misery and wants to protect her. The conflict between his desire for her spiritual welfare and what can only be called more earthy desires eventually causes great distress and problems for himself and the girl.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Philip Chenevert
• Release date: May 18, 2024
• ISBN: 9798882377495

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.