Edward S. Aarons
Edward S. Aarons was an American author renowned for his prolific contributions to the mystery and spy fiction genres, particularly during the mid-20th century. Born in Philadelphia, he pursued a career in writing from a young age, initially supporting himself through various jobs, including as a newspaper reporter. His literary career took off with the publication of his first mystery novel at the age of twenty-two, although it was interrupted by his enlistment in the United States Coast Guard shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After World War II, he completed his education at Columbia University, where he met his future wife.
Aarons is best known for the "Assignment" series, featuring CIA agent Sam Durell, with titles often named after exotic locations or intriguing female characters. His works are characterized by fast-paced plots and vivid settings, although Aarons himself was more of an "armchair traveler" and did not frequently visit the locations he wrote about. His books, published under various pseudonyms, displayed elements of the pulp fiction tradition, notably featuring striking covers. While his portrayal of espionage reflects the attitudes of the Cold War period, many readers appreciate his narrative skills and the detailed descriptions of his settings. Aarons's legacy continues to spark interest among fans of classic spy literature.
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Edward S. Aarons
Author
- Born: 1916
- Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Died: June 16, 1975
- Place of death: New Milford, Connecticut
Biography
Edward Sidney Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he grew up knowing he wanted to be a writer. To support himself while he was in college, he worked at several different jobs, including mill worker, fisherman, and salesman. Perhaps most important was his job as a newspaper reporter covering a variety of beats, including police stations and the morgue. In 1933, he won a college-sponsored short-story writing contest. At age twenty-two, he published his first mystery novel and decided to make writing fiction his vocation. His writing was put on hold, however, when in December, 1941, a week after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and became a chief petty officer. In 1945, after the end of World War II, he returned to school, earning his degree in literature and history from Columbia University. There he met his future wife, Ruth Ives. After her death he subsequently married Grace Dyer.
Aarons was an extremely prolific writer. He used the pseudonym Edward Ronns for at least thirty novels, including his first, and others were published as Paul Ayres or as Will B. Aarons. Most of these were relabeled after his death. Most of the books in the Assignment series, the very long-running series for which he is best known, were originally published under his own name. The protagonist is Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Sam Durell. The titles, such as Assignment Bangkok or Assignment Lili Lamaris, usually name a place or an intriguing and often dangerous woman. For example, Assignment Lili Lamaris refers to Durell’s contact in Italy when he is sent to Rome to replace a CIA agent who had been ”cut down by the enemy,” his body found ”in a back alley.” Lurid covers, typically featuring a scantily clad woman, followed the ”dime novel” pulp-fiction tradition, and reprints of his books in the 1990’s continued that look.
Aarons was an ”armchair traveler” who rarely visited the foreign locales he wrote about. However, the settings are notable and are described in sufficient detail to interest most readers. His primary characters do not always appear very believable, but the secondary characters tend to be succinctly drawn. Because of his adept use of settings and his skill at repeatedly creating plots that are fast paced and action filled, he is perhaps underrated as a writer. However, the attitudes about spies and agents in the Cold War era of the 1950’s and 1960’s severely date his work.