Joseph Heller

Fifty years after its original publication, Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest—and most celebrated—books of all time. In recent years it has been named to “best novels” lists by Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer. Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved. This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

Не так просто читателям романа Дж.Хеллера `Поправка-22` (1961) сразу разобраться в нагроможденных в книге несуразных событиях и парадоксальных суждениях, отделить элементы абсурдной фантастики от того, что вполне бы могло иметь место в действительности. В`Поправке-22` не просто присутствуют отдельные гротескные образы, а гиперболизирована, смещена вся художественная панорама, концентрирующаяся вокруг образа капитана-бомбардира Йоссариана с его ненавистью к насилию и решением дезертировать из армии США вовремя Второй мировой войны.

A darkly comic and ambitious sequel to the American classic Catch-22. In Closing Time, Joseph Heller returns to the characters of Catch-22, now coming to the end of their lives and the century, as is the entire generation that fought in World War II: Yossarian and Milo Minderbinder, the chaplain, and such newcomers as little Sammy Singer and giant Lew, all linked, in an uneasy peace and old age, fighting not the Germans this time, but The End. Closing Time deftly satirizes the realities and the myths of America in the half century since WWII: the absurdity of our politics, the decline of our society and our great cities, the greed and hypocrisy of our business and culture -- with the same ferocious humor as Catch-22. Closing Time is outrageously funny and totally serious, and as brilliant and successful as Catch-22 itself, a fun-house mirror that captures, at once grotesquely and accurately, the truth about ourselves.

The novel is set during World War II, from 1942 to 1944. It mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier. Most of the events in the book occur while the fictional 256th Squadron is based on the island of Pianosa, in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Italy. The novel looks into the experiences of Yossarian and the other airmen in the camp, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home.

De la pataniile din Insula Pianosa, zugravite in celebrul Catch-22, peste eroii lui Heller au trecut doua razboaie (Coreea si Vietnam) si tavalugul unei societati dispuse sa-i sacrifice pe naivi. Yossarian si fostii sai colegi navigheaza din valurile inadaptarii cazone in lacul presupus calm al civiliei. Si aici insa neputinta de a te acomoda are efecte neplacute. Albiti, burtosi sau miopi, pilotii de odinioara infrunta conventiile unei Americi tentaculare, incercand sa ia in vizor - in locul tintelor din razboi - pe panglicarii, banditii, santajistii si prostovanii instalati pretutindeni, de la conducerea unei autobaze la Capitol Hill si de la sefia unui sindicat la Casa Alba. "Ora inchiderii" este, poate, data limita la care nu stii daca te asteapta o explozie stelara, Judecata de Apoi sau incheierea resemnata a unui ciclu de viata.

Novelist Eugene Pota is a cultural icon of the 20th century, struggling to write what will be the last novel of his career. But what to write about when, like so many noted authors before him, all of Pota's output since that first, landmark novel has been scrutinized, dissected - and found wanting?

Bruce Gold, a middle-aged, Jewish professor of English literature, finds himself on the brink of a golden career in politics -- and not a moment too soon, as Gold yearns for an opportunity to transform a less-than-picture-perfect life: His children think little of him, his intimidating father endlessly bullies him, and his wife is so oblivious that she doesn't even notice he's left her. As funny as it is sad, Good as Gold is a story of children grown up, parents grown old, and friends and lovers grown apart -- a story that is inimitably Heller.

L'espressione Comma 22, è diventata, grazie a questo libro, emblema dell'assurdità e della demenza militare. Il protagonista è l'antieroico bombardiere americano Yossarian, ossessionato dal fatto che migliaia di persone sconosciute, a cui lui personalmente non ha fatto nulla, tentino continuamente di porre fine ai suoi giorni. Il romanzo si popola di personaggi stravaganti e irreparabilmente maniaci, che nella zelante applicazione della disciplina marziale mettono in ridicolo la ferrea e folle logica del Comma 22.

W 1961 roku ukazał się "Paragraf 22", książka uznana za jedną z najwybitniejszych powieści amerykańskich XX wieku, drapieżna farsa o II wojnie światowej. 33 lata później Joseph Heller oddał w ręce czytelników kontynuację swojego głośnego dzieła. Tym razem akcja powieści toczy się w Nowym Jorku, mieście opanowanym przez narkomanów, żebraków i prostytutki. Yossarian znów trafia do szpitala, gdzie symuluje chorobę i podrywa pielęgniarki. Przed szpitalem czatują na niego detektywi. Może wynajęła ich jego trzecia żona, a może jego szef Milo Minderbinder, właściciel jednego z największych koncernów w Ameryce? A może to nie detektywi, lecz agenci zamieszani w porwanie kapelana Tappmana? Tymczasem Milo próbuje sprzedać generałom z Pentagonu bombowiec nowej generacji, odznaczający się tym, że w ogóle go nie widać. Nikt jednak nie wie na pewno, czy maszyna naprawdę istnieje...

Jedna z najwybitniejszych powieści XX wieku, oraz najsłynniejsza powieść na temat II wojny światowej. Powieść pełna czarnego humoru, ukazuje bezsens wojny i armii jako instytucji, wyśmiewa mechaniczny społeczne rządzące się logiką absurdu. Jej bohaterowie to zbiorowisko wariatów, fanatyków, oportunistów, ale nade wszystko ludzi, którzy mają jeden wspólny cel - za wszelką cenę przeżyć...

Catch 22, l'Article 22, est un « attrape-nigaud » qui permet à un colonel américain d'imposer un nombre de missions sans cesse croissant à son escadrille de bombardiers basée dans une petite île de la Méditerranée pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Yossaran, héros tragicomique de cette épopée burlesque, est décidé à tout tenter pour sauver sa peau : il estime que sa seule mission, quand il s'envole, consiste à atterrir vivant. Simuler la folie dans cet univers délirant lui paraît le meilleur moyen de tirer au flanc. Hélas, l'Article 22 stipule : « Quiconque veut se dispenser d'aller au feu n'est pas réellement fou. » Cette première œuvre de Joseph Heller compte parmi les meilleurs romans américains de l'après-guerre.