10.09.2011

Tuesday, October 10, 1961: 'Catch-22'

The darkly comic novel about the lunacy of war is published by Simon and Schuster. Written by Joseph Heller, himself a World War II veteran, it introduces the concept-word "Catch-22" into the language. "Catch-22" is defined by Merriam-Webster as "a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule."

As described in the book:

"Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to, but if he didn't want to, he was sane and had to."

* "What is Catch-22? And Why Does the Book Matter?" (from BBC): @
* "Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' " ("Bloom's Modern Critical Interpretations"): @
* "Just One Catch: A Biography of Joseph Heller" (book by Tracy Daugherty): @
* "Yossarian Slept Here: When Joseph Heller Was Dad, the Apthorp Was Home, and Life Was a Catch-22" (book by Erica Heller): @
* "The War for 'Catch-22' " (Vanity Fair, August 2011): @
* Joseph Heller Collection, Brandeis University Libraries: @
* "Joseph Heller's 'Catch-22' Manuscript and Correspondence (also from Brandeis): @
* Various cover images: @
* Time magazine review (October 27): @
* New York Times article on 25th anniversary (1986): @

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