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Date: | Tue, 25 Oct 1994 22:29:45 EST |
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Alvin,
I found some evidence that Mark Twain did, in fact, know Bierce in San
Francisco in 1865. But judge for yourself how well; I quote a section
from SLC's Autobiographical Dictation of June 13, 1906 concerning his
San Francisco days on the "Morning Call":
"...I spent a good deal of time with Bret Harte in his office after
Smiggy McGlural came, but not before that. Harte was doing a good deal
of writing for the CALIFORNIAN - contributing "Condensed Novels" and
sketches to it and also acting as editor, I think. I was a
contributor. So was Charles H. Webb; also Prentiss Mulford; also a
young lawyer named Hastings, who gave promise of distinguishing himself
in literature some day. Charles Warren Stoddard was a contributor.
Ambrose Bierce, who is still writing acceptably for the magazines
today, was then employed on some paper in San Francisco - THE GOLDEN
ERA, perhaps. We had very good times together - very social and
pleasant times. But that was after Smiggy McGlural came to my
assistance; there was no leisure before that..." (See: _Mark Twain in
Eruption_, 261-262)
There is another brief reference to Bierce in A.B. Paine's _Mark
Twain's Autobiography_, Volume 1, pg. 154. This reference (probably
written by Clemens in 1898) indicates that Bierce was part of the
"young literary" group that worked on the GOLDEN ERA.
Paul Berkowitz
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