Catch As Catch Can - Softcover

Joseph Heller

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743239784 ISBN 13: 9780743239783

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2003

Synopsis

Not many writers introduce a phrase - let alone a whole idea - into the language. In CATCH-22, Joseph Heller invented a motif for the modern world. The book shaped everything that came after it, establishing Heller's reputation as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. But where did the author who was able to create that novel come from? And what happened to those remarkable characters? On the eightieth anniversary of Heller's birth, CATCH AS CATCH CAN for the first time collects his stories to chart the development of a genius. From Heller's recollections of his Coney Island childhood to the later stories of his greatest creation, Yossarian, CATCH AS CATCH CAN is the last great work of one of the twentieth century's most important literary figures.

About this title

Review

With his first book, the seminal anti-war novel Catch-22, Joseph Heller became one of American literature's most important 20th-century writers. The posthumous collection, Catch As Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings, shows Heller's early development as a writer, but in essence provides the "outtakes," "B-sides," and sketches related to Catch-22, and several nonfiction pieces regarding it, mixed with juvenilia. A more appropriate title might have been The Making of Catch-22.

Heller's early forays into fiction are somewhat memorable, such as "The Girl from Greenwich," a story about vanity, and "A Man Named Flute," wherein a father deals with the discovery of his son's drug use. Also, "World Full of Great Cities" is a disturbing look at what a couple might do to save their marriage. This collection, however, contains a great many works that revolve around Catch-22, or contain characters that appear in that work, including two chapters cut from the novel and published as independent stories: "Love, Dad" and "Yossarian Survives." Not surprisingly, these are the strongest works in the book. "Love, Dad" provides the first introduction to Edward J. Nately III, who "was often lonely and nagged by vague, incipient longings. He contemplated his sophomore year at Harvard without enthusiasm, without joy. Fortunately, the War broke out in time to save him." Joseph Heller will be known forever for his great novel, Catch-22, and Catch As Catch Can serves to back up this notion. --Michael Ferch

About the Author

Joseph Heller was born in Brooklyn in 1923. He began his career with short stories but won immediate acclaim with CATCH-22 in 1961. He went on to write SOMETHING HAPPENED, GOOD AS GOLD, GOD KNOWS, PICTURE THIS, CLOSING TIME (the sequel to CATCH-22) and PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS AN OLD MAN. Heller died in December 1999.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0743239784
• ISBN 13: 9780743239783
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352