Catch-22 & Closing Time

Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest—and most celebrated—books of all time. In recent years it has been named to “best novels” lists by Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer.

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.

In the sequel, CLOSING TIME, Heller revisits the unforgettable characters of Catch-22, now facing the twilight of their lives and the end of the century. Closing Time deftly satirizes the realities and the myths of postwar America with the same ferocious humor as his masterpiece, Catch-22, exploring the absurdity of our politics, the decline of our society and great cities, and the greed and hypocrisy at the heart of our business and culture.