Review: Adolphe Danziger De Castro's classic, and edited by Ambrose Bierce
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 2, 2012
The Monk and The Hangman's Daughteris a fascinating story of obsession, redemption, and beyond. But there's more to it than that, because the story was not written by Ambrose Bierce, but by Adolphe Danziger De Castro, a journalist, lawyer, scholar, and an author of poems, novels and short stories, and that Ambrose Bierce was a contributor and editor. Yet like peeling the layers of an onion, there's even more to this tale.This book should not be confused withThe Hangman's Daughterby contemporary German author Oliver Pötzsch. I humbly admit that I made that mistake when buying both this book and the one by author Oliver Pötzsch.Regarding this title, Adolphe Danziger De Castro translated the story "Der Mönch von Berchtesgaden" (The Monk of Berchtesgaden), by German novelist Richard Voss, which had been published in a German monthly magazine in 1891, into English.  Danziger contracted Ambrose Bierce, who supported Danziger's literary aspirations in the late 19th century, requesting that he edit the story.  It was published as "The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter," first in serial form in a San Francisco newspaper in 1891 then republished as a book in 1892.This is the tale of Ambrosius, a young Franciscan monk in Germany of the late 1600s, who takes pity on Benedicta, the local hangman's daughter, who by nature of her father's profession is a social pariah. It is penned in the form of an undated diary, detailing the arrival in Berchtesgaden of Ambrosius and his companions, and goes on to tell of his first meeting with Benedicta, and of his ensuing meetings and relations with her.Ambrosius is drawn into a dangerous sympathy with Benedicta, and in defiance of the community and his superiors, he starts spending time alone with her. But when an impetuous young man corrupts her virtue, the stage is set for a battle between heart, mind, body, spirit, the sins of the past, and redemption.Due to the reverential language of the story, it seemed at first that this would be a tale of temptation and mutual redemption, but by the end of the book, it turns into something entirely different. It's actually a beautifully crafted tale of misplaced affections and the dangers of obsession.I had originally encountered this book as a slim volume in the 1970s while in college, and it's good to see that it's available as a free Kindle edition here, regardless as it being attributed to Ambrose Bierce. Some sources claim that is was written by Ambrose Bierce in collaboration with Gustav Adolph Danziger, yet others claim that Danziger wrote it and Ambrose Bierce was the editor. Whichever you choose to believe, it has a surprise ending and is a beautifully crafted tale, but don't confuse it with Oliver Pötzsch'sThe Hangman's Daughter; they are entirely different.9/2/2012