Ambrose Bierce (1842 – c. 1914) was a prolific author, journalist, literary critic, and poet. He was one of the most influential journalists in the United States, a pioneering writer of realist fiction, and one of the great horror and satirical writers of his era. Bierce is best known today for his cynical glossary The Devil's Dictionary (1906) and his 1890 story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."