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Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
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Catch-22 (original 1961; edition 1994)

by Joseph Heller

Series: Catch-22 (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
39,86252450 (4.1)976
Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy, a bombadier named Yossarian is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. He has decided to live fo.
Member:Jyoze
Title:Catch-22
Authors:Joseph Heller
Info:Simon & Schuster (1994), Hardcover, 416 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:*****
Tags:explosive, bitter, subversive, brilliant

Work Information

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

  1. 535
    Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (kiwiflowa, WisePolyphemos)
  2. 186
    A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (InvisiblerMan)
  3. 134
    Atonement by Ian McEwan (rosylibrarian)
  4. 90
    Closing Time by Joseph Heller (Anonymous user)
    Anonymous user: Joseph Heller's sequel to "Catch-22" set in the early 1990s.
  5. 146
    All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (kittycatpurr)
  6. 71
    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (gbill)
  7. 50
    In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War by Tobias Wolff (paulkid)
    paulkid: Me, I think that true stories are the most absurd. For me, "In Pharaoh's Army" may not be as funny as "Catch-22", but it's close and definitely has made me consider my own serious outlook on life a little less, well, seriously. See if you agree.
  8. 40
    King Rat by James Clavell (John_Vaughan)
  9. 62
    The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hašek (roby72)
  10. 51
    Just One Catch: A Biography of Joseph Heller by Tracy Daugherty (Imprinted)
    Imprinted: This biography includes a lengthy section on the writing and publishing of Catch-22, the tragicomic 1961 novel that originated in Heller’s experience as a World War II bombardier
  11. 63
    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (wvlibrarydude)
    wvlibrarydude: Satire and humor that will split your gut. Read if you want to laugh at humanity.
  12. 30
    The Bamboo Bed by William Eastlake (tootstorm)
    tootstorm: A genuine equal to Catch-22 written for the Vietnam age. Not just a cheap attempt to imitate Heller's talent-slash-luck, Eastlake may well have surpassed his masterpiece with this long-last classic. Read alongside Dispatches to maximize pleasure; then continue your newfound, inevitable addiction to all things Eastlake, because he really is that good--and he really is that inexplicably, undeservably unknown.… (more)
  13. 52
    Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger (girlunderglass)
    girlunderglass: Both stories about war, plus Heller owes much to Salinger in terms of authorial voice (wit, vernacular language, goddamits, sense of humor)
  14. 31
    The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières (Pedrolina)
    Pedrolina: Both books take on the slightly surreal side to war, but with serious consequences nonetheless.
  15. 21
    Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho (chrissybob)
    chrissybob: Similar views on mental health
  16. 10
    And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat (ShaneTierney)
  17. 11
    War Story by Derek Robinson (Polaris-)
  18. 11
    Crash Gordon and the Mysteries of Kingsburg by Derek Swannson (jasbro)
  19. 11
    Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (fundevogel)
  20. 00
    The Wanting Seed by Anthony Burgess (Anonymous user)
    Anonymous user: Satire that includes an anti-war message

(see all 25 recommendations)

1960s (3)
Read (70)
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AP Lit (233)
100 (54)
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» See also 976 mentions

English (499)  Swedish (5)  Dutch (3)  Spanish (3)  German (2)  Norwegian (2)  Danish (2)  Portuguese (Brazil) (1)  Slovak (1)  Portuguese (Portugal) (1)  Russian (1)  Hebrew (1)  Catalan (1)  Italian (1)  All languages (523)
Showing 1-5 of 499 (next | show all)
This classic felt a little disjointed at times for me. Even though I was never in the military, the reader should be able to connect with most of the characters on some level. There are a few peculiarities in the story that are probably a generational thing, but if you push past those the overall story has a lot of universal appeal. Lots of humor there, but often relies on a lot of back-and-forth repetition (also felt very "old school"). Still funny, but definitely from a different era. ( )
  teejayhanton | Mar 22, 2024 |
It was okay. The book was kind of hard to understand most of the time and there were many moments where my eyes started to glaze over. There is also a lot of explicit material in it. There were some funny moments though. My favorite characters were Major Major and the Chaplain. 6/10 - January 19, 2024 ( )
  XRayBlaster006 | Jan 19, 2024 |
Catch-22 или “Уловка-22” (она же “Поправка”, но я бы назвал ее “Загвоздкой”) - культовая американская книга Джозефа Хеллера, по своему влиянию сравнимая с книгами об Остапе Бендера у нас и, рискну предположить, “Швейком” Гашека. Она, конечно, художественная, но настолько без конца упоминается в нонфикшне, что я решил-таки ее почитать. В оригинале. Прочёл половину и вот что имею сказать.

Во-первых, за скобки абсолютно точно нужно выносить абсурдный парадокс, послуживший книге названием, и который-то постоянно и упоминают. Уловкой-22 в Уставе - а книга о военных летчиках-бомбардировщиках времен 2МВ - обозначается невыполнимое условие окончания военной службы: “Отстранить от полётов (и отправить домой) могут только сумасшедшего. Однако любой, кто придет просить отстранения от полётов, в т.ч. симулируя - точно не сумасшедший, и его вернут летать”. Чокнутый, ведь, не догадывается, что полеты опасны. Такова дилемма, из которой пытается выпутаться страшно боящийся погибнуть американский летчик Йоссариан, главный герой книги. Логические парадоксы между взаимоисключающими правилами в жизни действительно или встречаются, или видятся, так что узнаваемый краткий термин для них в языке нужен. В англоязычном мире им стал Catch-22.

Теперь о, собственно, книге. Ясно, что крылатым может стать и название слабого произведения. Что она из себя представляет? Тут я должен глубоко вдохнуть и осторожно сказать, что “эта книга на любителя”. Основное моё впечатление такое: автор очень хочет рассмешить читателя. Поскольку автор, очевидно, не глупый человек, то он хочет, чтобы смеясь, читатель задумывался. В т.ч. над абсурдом устоявшихся вещей. В т.ч. священных коров и скреп, принимаемых не критически. Но беда в том, что рассмешить он всё же хочет сильнее.

Вторая мысль: возможно, эта книга - продукт своего времени. Тогда так шутили. Помните эту репризу «Кто на первой базе?» комического дуэта Эббот и Костелло, которую беспрестанно повторяет и никак не поймет гений-аутист в фильме “Человек дождя”? “А кто первый? А кто Второй?”. Или сценку “Авас” Карцева и Ильченко? Так вот такого юмора, увы иногда уже натужного и не смешного, в книге хоть отбавляй.

Также что-то общее у нее есть и с выражением “Кто в армии служил, тот в цирке не смеется”, и, как мне кажется, со швейковщиной. Но опять-таки без конца смешно шутить над тупыми сложно. Автор же упорно продолжает этим заниматься. Что-то хорошо в качестве единожды произнесенной шутки, но ее дальнейшее тиражирование уже утомляет (а меня раздражает). Одного персонажа отец прикола ради назвал Major M. Major (где М. - тоже Major. Это слово помимо звания в англ. может означать и “Старший/ой”). В армии ему, чтобы не путаться, побыстрее присваивают звание майора (тоже Major), и всю книгу нас сопровождает Major Major Major Major, каждый раз, когда этот персонаж появляется на сцене.

Невероятное сочетание узколобого юмора, вычурно-гротескных диалогов и описаний (тут лексикон уже может быть профессорским), и редких, почти всегда неожиданных, моментов подлинно гениального юмора международного уровня, - всё это произвело на меня смешанное впечатление. Не знаю, смогу ли я кому-то однозначно порекомендовать эту книгу. Но с другой стороны, не прочти я ее, где бы я еще повстречался с жемчужинами, вроде этой: He knew everything about literature except how to enjoy it.

P.s. Недавний сериал Джорджа Клуни по этой книге совсем не дурен. Более того, благодаря нему книга может показаться лучше, чем есть на самом деле. С другой стороны, значительная доля шуток - это комическое описание мыслей, внешнего вида и поступков незадачливых героев. Кинематограф это всё часто теряет или просто не может передать. В данном случае теряется и ряд действительно остроумных пассажей, вроде указанного выше. Такая вот и тут загвоздка выходит.
  Den85 | Jan 3, 2024 |
I found this book utterly annoying. The concept of Catch-22 is interesting but I don't see any reason why it should be spread on 500 pages with erratic dialogue and no plot whatsoever. I get it, war is hell. But that doesn't mean I should torture myself with this book... ( )
  sunforsiberia | Dec 28, 2023 |
Great read and ending. It took me awhile though. ( )
  SteveMcI | Dec 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 499 (next | show all)

» Add other authors (39 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Heller, Josephprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Scotto, Richard M.Editorsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Bradbury, MalcolmIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Buckley, ChristopherIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ceserani, RemoTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Danehl, GüntherTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Danehl,IreneTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Jęczmyk, LechTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kliphuis, J.F.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Lahtela, MarkkuTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Packer, NeilIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sanders, Jay O.Narratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Szilágyi TiborTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Epigraph
There was only one catch... and that was Catch-22.

This island of Pianosa lies in the Mediterranean Sea eight miles south of Elba. It is very small and obviously could not accommodate all of the actions described. Like the setting of this novel, the characters, too, are fictitious.
Dedication
To Candida Donadio, literary agent, and Robert Gottlieb, editor. Colleagues.
To my mother
and to Shirley
and my children, Erica and Ted
First words
It was love at first sight.
Quotations
They had not brains enough to be introverted and repressed.
There was only one catch, and that was Catch-22.
The enemy is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.
"Sure, that's what I mean," Doc Daneeka said. "A little grease is what makes this world go round. One hand washes the other. Know what I mean? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Yossarian knew what he meant.

"That's not what I meant," Doc Daneeka said, as Yossarian began scratching his back.
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Wikipedia in English (3)

Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron on a small island off Italy, a bombadier named Yossarian is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. He has decided to live fo.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
This is the story of Yossarian, a man trying to survive during WW2. Unable to go home because he hasn't completed enough missions he tries to get himself deemed ill which he can't do because he hasn't been sick. 
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