Description
Catch-22 is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller which was published in 1961. It is often cited as one of the most significant novels of the Twentieth century. The book uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person narrator who knows everything and describes events from the point of view of different characters. The timeline is given with the plot to bring all the separate storylines into a sequence.
The novel is set in Italy during World War II. The story mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier, who has been assigned to bomb enemy posts in eastern France and Italy. Most of the events in the book that occur at the time of the fictional 256th Army Air Squadron units are based on the island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean Sea, West of Italy. Though, there are few episodes that are based on basic training sessions at Lowry Field in Colorado and Air Corps training in Santa Ana, CA.
The novel is set in Italy during World War II. The story mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier, who has been assigned to bomb enemy posts in eastern France and Italy. Most of the events in the book that occur at the time of the fictional 256th Army Air Squadron units are based on the island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean Sea, West of Italy. Though, there are few episodes that are based on basic training sessions at Lowry Field in Colorado and Air Corps training in Santa Ana, CA.
The novel evaluates the absurdity of war, military life through the experiences of Captain Yossarian and his battalion, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they can survive and return home. He is afraid of his own commanding officers more than Germans, who are out there to shoot him.
He is afraid of commanding officers because of being assigned excessive missions and the need to fly a lot more than required. He has seen his friends and army man dying; and, a lot more destruction. He thinks, "The enemy is anybody who is going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on, and that includes Colonel Cathcart." He has been portrayed as an anti-hero during the war, who wants to escape from the situation since he wants to live and go back home, but he can't.
The plot of this novel is based on the personal experiences of Joseph Heller during World War II. The feelings of Captain Yossarian and other bomber pilots are taken directly from the diary of Heller which contains the problems he had suffered while on duty. Heller flew 60 bombing missions from May to October in 1944. It took until 1953 before he could start writing about it that is why the book contains references to Post World War II phenomena like IBM computers and loyalty oaths. The war experience turned Heller into a "tortured, funny, deeply peculiar human being."
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller's masterpiece which is complex, satirical, as well as the funniest book, ever written. It received both extremely positive and negative reviews initially. The story is quite unique in its narration with black humor on military madness. Humor is expressed sarcastically through a different point of view that hammers on the unwanted Military actions. Actions, which are completely affected and govern by sinister bureaucrats.
This is the story of a Military Captian John Yossarian and his efforts to survive unwanted frequent flies during World War II. According to the story, unstable men do not have to fly aircraft, but the fact that they can rationally decide for themselves and ask for a waiver proves that they are stable enough to accomplish the target. The story is loaded with incidents and frightening moments. This comic fable that ends in horror becomes a more and more clear reflection of the non-comic and horrifying realities of the world in which we live and hope to survive.
Catch-22 is a classic of world literature. Heller's prose in Catch-22 is circular and repetitive, exemplifying the formation of the novel. Circular reasoning is widely used by some characters to justify their actions and opinions, Heller revels in paradox. Reading Catch-22 is nothing less than a rite of passage.
The phrase ‘Catch-22’ was later added in the English language referring to a type of impossible logic puzzle sometimes called a double bind.
- It was ranked 7th (by review panel) and 12th (by public) greatest English novel of the Twentieth century by 'The Modern Library'.
- 'Times' and 'The Observer' listed Catch-22 as one of the 100 greatest novels of all time.
- 'The Big Read' by the BBC ranked Catch-22 as number 11 on a web poll of the UK's best-loved book.
Adaptation
- The novel was adapted into a feature film with the same name in 1970, directed by Mike Nichols and Alan Arkin played the role of Captain Yossarian.
- A pilot for a comedy series based upon Catch-22 was made and telecasted in 1973 with Richard Dreyfuss in the lead role of Yossarian.
- 'Catch-22 Play: Aquila Theatre' produced a stage adaptation of the novel, based on Heller's 1971 stage adaptation. It was directed by Peter Meineck. This production toured the US in 2007/'08 with a Bexhill on Sea production in the fall of 2008.
- A six-episode mini-series produced and co-starred by George Clooney which was picked up by Hulu. It was streamed on 17 May 2019 and broadcast by Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. Kyle Chandler portrayed Colonel Cathcart and Christopher Abbott played the lead role of Yossarian.
About the Author
Joseph Heller (born on 1 May 1923 in Brooklyn, New York) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. He is best known for the novel Catch-22, a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose name has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. His satirical style of writing made him one of the most acclaimed writers in contemporary America.
Joseph Heller joined U.S. Army Air Corps at the age of 19. Two years later he was sent to the Italian Front, where he flew 60 combat missions as a B-25 bombardier.
After coming back from the war, he studied English at the University of Southern California then he attended New York University for a Bachelor's degree in Arts (1948) and Columbia University for a Master's in Arts (1949).
He was an army personnel who later turned into a teacher of English literature and writing. He was married to Shirley Held from 1945 to 1981 and they had two children, Erica (1952) and Theodore (1956). After his divorce from Shirley, he got married to Valerie Humphries in 1987.
He died on 12 December 1999 at East Hampton, New York.
Joseph Heller (born on 1 May 1923 in Brooklyn, New York) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. He is best known for the novel Catch-22, a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose name has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. His satirical style of writing made him one of the most acclaimed writers in contemporary America.
Joseph Heller joined U.S. Army Air Corps at the age of 19. Two years later he was sent to the Italian Front, where he flew 60 combat missions as a B-25 bombardier.
After coming back from the war, he studied English at the University of Southern California then he attended New York University for a Bachelor's degree in Arts (1948) and Columbia University for a Master's in Arts (1949).
He was an army personnel who later turned into a teacher of English literature and writing. He was married to Shirley Held from 1945 to 1981 and they had two children, Erica (1952) and Theodore (1956). After his divorce from Shirley, he got married to Valerie Humphries in 1987.
He died on 12 December 1999 at East Hampton, New York.
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Rating: 4.2/5
Author: Joseph Heller
Publisher: Vintage Books
Publishing Date: 20 October 1994
Language: English
Genre: Satire, Dark Comedy, War Fiction, Absurdist Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure
ISBN-10: 0099536013
ISBN-13: 978-0099536017
Pages: 576
Cost: $14.38 (Paperback)
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