Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller was an American novelist best known for *Catch-22* (1961), a darkly comic World War II novel whose title entered the language.

A catch-22 is a paradoxical situation where contradictory rules make escape impossible—you can't win because the conditions for winning prevent you from winning.

Heller's other novels include *Something Happened* and *Closing Time*, but none matched his debut's cultural impact.

novelist

Catch-22

Self-defeating logical trap

novelistWriter of prose narratives
authorCreator of written works
AmericanFrom the U.S.

postmodernist · black humor · satirist · manuscript · fiction · prose · narrative · storytelling · creativity · bestseller

satire

absurdity

Wildly illogical quality

ironyMeaning opposite to words
parodySatirical imitation
black comedyHumor from taboo subjects

mockery · bureaucracy · military satire · dark humor · wit · cynicism · exaggeration · farce · ridicule · contradiction

Catch-22

Snowden

NSA contractor turned fugitive

bombardierPlane's payload releaser
B-25American medium bomber
missionsAssigned important tasks

paradox · bureaucracy · absurdity · antihero · red tape · contradiction · insanity · escape · hospital

war

WWII

1939-45 global conflict

bomberExplosive-delivery aircraft or saboteur
squadronMilitary aviation unit
MediterraneanSea between Europe, Africa, Asia

Corsica · aerial · missions · sortie · flak · combat · military · airmen · casualties · officers

Joseph Heller

Catch-22

absurdity

Snowden

WWII

Joseph Heller

Opposites

Categories

Family