Career
As an author, Arthur Porges was most prolific during the mid-twentieth century, publishing most frequently in mystery magazines. He wrote many essays and non-fiction articles. Many of Porges's fictional heroes do not survive in their stories. This element adds tension—- for example, in his first published story, "The Rats" (1950), mutated rats eventually overcome a lone survivor in a post-holocaust world. The publication of this story in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, began the working relationship between Porges and the editor Anthony Boucher.
A noted author himself, Boucher helped Porges get his work published, and during the 1950s influenced his writing style a great deal. Among Porges's short stories of this period was "The Ruum" (1953). Perhaps his best-known story, "The Ruum" deals with a human who is chased by an indestructible alien machine designed to capture specimens and keep them in suspended animation. Stories of the 1960s include "The Arrogant Vampire" (1961), "One Bad Habit" (1961), and "The Fanatic" (1964). His brother Irwin collaborated with him on one story, "A Touch of Sun" (1959). Porges also wrote at times by pseudonyms such as Peter Arthur, Pat Rogers, Maxwell Trent, Abel Jacobi, and Derek Page. He wrote in several genres, with his science fiction/fantasy and mystery stories being most celebrated. His output of short stories numbers in the hundreds.
A collection of his short stories, The Mirror and Other Strange Reflections (ISBN 1-55310-044-1) was published during 2002 by Ash-Tree Press.
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