Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller was an American author and playwright, best known for his satirical novel 'Catch-22', a critical antiwar novel about World War II. The term 'Catch-22' has since entered the English language, signifying a no-win situation or a double bind. Heller's works often focus on the absurdities of life and the bureaucracies of the military and corporate America.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Catch-22
The book is a satirical critique of military bureaucracy and the illogical nature of war, set during World War II. The story follows a U.S. Army Air Forces B-25 bombardier stationed in Italy, who is trying to maintain his sanity while fulfilling his service requirements so that he can go home. The novel explores the absurdity of war and military life through the experiences of the protagonist, who discovers that a bureaucratic rule, the "Catch-22", makes it impossible for him to escape his dangerous situation. The more he tries to avoid his military assignments, the deeper he gets sucked into the irrational world of military rule.
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2. Something Happened
In "Something Happened," the narrative delves into the mind of Bob Slocum, a successful yet disillusioned corporate executive navigating the complexities of his personal and professional life in post-war America. The novel, characterized by its stream-of-consciousness style, explores themes of anxiety, isolation, and the mundane horrors of everyday existence as Slocum grapples with his relationships with his family, his colleagues, and himself. Through a series of introspective and often disjointed reflections, the protagonist reveals his deep-seated fears and desires, painting a stark and unsettling portrait of a man overwhelmed by the banalities and moral ambiguities of American middle-class life.
