October 12, 2002

"In the Midst of Life" by Ambrose Bierce: Divided into two distinct sections, "In the Midst of Life" is a fine collection of short stories that sets forth to illuminate the unique experience of life played beneath the ominous shadow of Death. Good times. Good times, indeed.

The first portion of the book is entitled "Soldiers" and includes 15 tales centering around the Civil War, a bloody conflict with which Mr. Bierce himself was all too familiar. Mr. Bierce was wounded twice during combat, once in the heel and once in the head. Surviving the carnage, the author emerged with inspiration for some truly impressive work.

The most famous of Mr. Bierce's stories is probably "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," which tells of a Southern civilian who attempts to do his part to aid the Confederate cause by destroying a critical bridge recently seized by Union forces. Hauntingly memorable, it must rank among the great short stories of American Literature.

Other standouts from "Soldiers" include: "Chickamauga," a tale of a young boy lost in the woods who stumbles across a mutilated Confederate troop in ravaged retreat; "Killed at Resaca," a portrait of misguided courage that has a wicked good punch line; and "One Officer, One Man," a look at fear in the face of battle.

The second half of the book is called "Civilians" and boasts 11 stories of, well, civilians. The best of these may be "The Applicant," which tells of generosity and neglect; "A Watcher by the Dead," featuring a bet among friends that a man could not spend a night in a room with a dead body; and "The Suitable Surroundings," a case of a man being frightened to death by a mere manuscript.

Mr. Bierce does a good job of mixing up structure and voice so the stories, all 26 of them, avoid being repetitive. Sure, one can see most of the supposed surprise endings coming down Broadway, but that's due more to a lifelong education in O. Henry and similar irony than any fault of the writer.

And while most of the stories fall far short of the lofty heights of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," Mr. Bierce's skill as a craftsman is undeniable. His ease with the language turns even the simplest of lines into a work of art. Sometimes he'll take a roundabout way to express thought, yet his cleverness always makes the journey worth the effort.

Read this book for no other reason than to experience Mr. Bierce's inimitable style.

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"Knulp" by Hermann Hesse: 70 Proof discovered Hermann Hesse a little late, but we intend to make up for lost time.

"Knulp," subtitled "Three Tales from the Life of Knulp," has as its title character a loveable drifter that bounces through life with a song in his heart and responsibility at his back. Knulp chose the open road to the standard family life, it wasn't thrust upon him because of ignorance. Far from it. Knulp is of quick wit and sparkling intelligence. His affable nature earns him new friends wherever he travels, and it's this system of admirers that enables Knulp to continue his capricious lifestyle. Knulp was "On the Road" long before Dean Moriarty and Sal Paradise ever fired up the car.

As mentioned earlier, Knulp's life is told in three separate tales. The first, "Early Spring," finds Knulp fresh from the hospital and calling on an old friend to put him up for a few days. The middle stanza, "My Recollections of Knulp," is told by an unknown narrator who recalls days of yore when he once shared the road with the terrific tramp. The third piece, "The End," relates Knulp's final soul-searching in the face of death.

In Knulp, Mr. Hesse has created a tremendous character whose whistling, care-free manner masks serious philosophical concerns, not to mention painful regret. Is it better to stay true to one's self and be thought a fool or to live the ordinary life of the common? Not every path is fit for every man. Yet what is to be gained by any of them? Knulp's wanderings bring into question the very meaning of life.

This is another spectacular offering from Hermann Hesse.

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