The Arthurauthor Porges Very little personal information is known about this author. He was born on 20th August 1915 to Israel Podgursky and Klara Kurzin, who were born in 1885 near the RussianPolish border and who adopted the name of Porges, a relative, when going to the United States some years later. He obtained a Masters degree in Mathematics but before he could start his career as a teacher of Maths at college level, he had to join the army during World War II as an instructor in California. He became a full-time writer in 1957. He wrote many essays and non-fiction articles and was a frequent contributor of poetry, letters and articles to many periodicals while writing his very short science fiction short stories. Writing in such a short form makes us suppose that Porges considered the plot, or central idea, the most important aspect of each story. The theme which emerges from his tales is mainly that of misanthropy1, and although his stories are generally rich in humour, they often leave a bitter taste in the mouth after reading and express a dark view of humanity. His protagonists often have to apply logical and mathematical reasoning to solve intellectual puzzles as, for example, the Ensign De Ruyter series of stories, which are his greatest series within the science fiction format. These follow the exploits of an intergalactic ship and its crew. Each story narrates De Ruyter s attempts2 to escape from dangerous situations on various planets they land on. His cunning3 only rescues the situation at the end of the story. However, many of Porges s heroes do not survive. His stories are characterised by careful attention to detail and also show some macabre, horror, 1. misanthropy: condition of people who do not like other people and prefer to be alone. 2. attempts: acts of trying to do something, 50 especially something difficult. 3. cunning: ability to achieve what you want by deceiving people in a clever way.