Joseph Heller

Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he’s assigned, he’ll be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.

Ο J. Heller μετά την φρίκη και την παράνοια που έζησε ως βομβαρδιστής της αμερικανικής αεροπορίας κατά τον Β' παγκόσμιο πόλεμο, έγραψε με το μοναδικό του χιούμορ το μεγαλύτερο αντιπολεμικό μυθιστόρημα όλων των εποχών, μια μοναδική σάτιρα, περιγράφοντας κατ' επέκταση την τρέλα της σύγχρονης κοινωνίας.