Joseph Heller (1923–99) was an American novelist. He is best known for the début novel Catch-22 (1961,) an absurdist black comedy satirizing war. Catch-22 is not only the source of the expression ‘catch-22,’ the proviso that trips one up no matter which way one turns, but also a byword for war’s absurdity.
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Heller was educated at New York and served in the U.S. Air Force in World War II, flying 60 combat missions. After receiving an M.A. at Columbia University in 1949, he studied at the University of Oxford (1949–50) as a Fulbright scholar. He taught English at Pennsylvania State University (1950–52) and worked as an advertising copywriter for Time (1952–56) and Look (1956–58) and as a promotion manager for McCall’s (1958–61,) meanwhile writing Catch-22 in his spare time.
Drawing on his war experience, Heller wrote Catch-22 (1961; film 1970,) which is based on the simple premise that men on dangerous missions must be considered insane, and may, therefore, ask to be excused from duty, but by making the request, they prove that they are sane and fit to fly.
Upon its release, many considered Catch-22 off-the-wall and outlandish—The New Yorker review called it “a debris of sour jokes, stage anger, dirty words, and synthetic looniness.” After selling modestly for some years, Catch-22 became an international bestseller when published as a mass-market paperback.
Heller returned to the theme of war in the plays We Bombed in New Haven (1968) and Clevinger’s Trial (1974.) His later novels include Something Happened (1974,) Good as Gold (1979,) God Knows (1984,) and Picture This (1988.) Closing Time (1994) is a sequel to Catch-22. Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man (2000,) was published posthumously.
Heller wrote several screenplays, among them Sex and the Single Girl (1964,) Casino Royale (1967,) and Dirty Dingus Magee (1970.)
Heller described his neurological ailment in the autobiographical account No Laughing Matter (1986.) Notable biographies include Tracy Daugherty’s Just One Catch (2011,) and his daugther Erica Heller’s Life Was a Catch-22 (2011.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Joseph Heller
When I grow up, I want to be a little boy.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Inner-child, Aging
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them. With Major Major it had been all three.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Mediocrity
Success and failure are both difficult to endure. Along with success come drugs, divorce, fornication, bullying, travel, meditation, medication, depression, neurosis and suicide. With failure comes failure.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Success, Failure
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for ones own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didnt, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didnt have to; but if he didnt want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
—Joseph Heller
Destiny is a good thing to accept when it’s going your way. When it isn’t, don’t call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.
—Joseph Heller
I want to keep my dreams, even bad ones, because without them, I might have nothing all night long.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Dreams
The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Perspective
We do have a zeal for laughter in most situations, give or take a dentist.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Laughter
Frankly, I’d like to see the government get out of war altogether and leave the whole field to private industry.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: War
He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt.
—Joseph Heller
Like Olympic medals and tennis trophies, all they signified was that the owner had done something of no benefit to anyone more capably than everyone else.
—Joseph Heller
He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.
—Joseph Heller
Topics: Failure
Insanity is contagious.
—Joseph Heller
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