
SHAPES OF CLAY - By Ambrose Bierce - Author Of "In The Midst Of Life," "Can Such Things Be?" "Black Beetles In Amber," And "Fantastic Fables" - 1903
DEDICATION.
PREFACE.
SHAPES OF CLAY
THE PASSING SHOW.
ELIXER VITAE.
CONVALESCENT.
AT THE CLOSE OF THE CANVASS.
NOVUM ORGANUM.
GEOTHEOS.
A vivid, dream‑like panorama opens the collection, where towering palaces and golden domes loom over a restless multitude, while darker, somber spires hint at the inevitable passage of time. The poet moves between awe of human ambition and a quiet meditation on mortality, letting the city’s glittering façades converse with the hidden, stone‑bound homes of the dead. Through this contrast, readers glimpse a world where grandeur and fragility coexist, prompting both wonder and a subtle, unsettling introspection.
The verses that follow were originally scattered across newspapers, now gathered and reshaped into a single, unapologetically candid voice. The author defends the right to preserve even the most contentious pieces, arguing that satire and criticism belong to the public sphere despite potential offense. Listeners will be drawn into a tapestry of humor, seriousness, and sentiment, each poem inviting them to discern its tone and contemplate the delicate balance between creation and decay.
Language
en
Duration
~4 hours (268K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Etext produced by Rick Niles, Kat Jeter, John Hagerson and PG Distributed Proofreaders HTML file produced by David Widger
Release date
2004-06-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1842–1913
A master of sharp wit and dark imagination, this American writer turned the violence of the Civil War and a lifelong journalist’s eye into stories that still feel startlingly modern. He is best remembered for haunting tales like An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and for the biting satire of The Devil’s Dictionary.
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