Joseph heller author biography outlines

American writer (1923–1999)

For other go out named Joseph Heller, see Carpenter Heller (disambiguation).

Joseph Heller
Heller c. 1979
Born	(1923-05-01)May 1, 1923 New Royalty City, U.S.
Died	December 12, 1999(1999-12-12) (aged 76) East Hampton, New York, U.S.
Resting place	Cedar Lawn Cemetery East Hampton, New Royalty, U.S.
Occupation	Writer[1]
Alma mater
Genre	Satire, black comedy
Notable works	Catch-22, Something Happened
Spouse	Shirley Held (1945–1984; divorced; 2 children) Valerie Humphries (1987–1999; his death)

Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – Dec 12, 1999) was an Land author of novels, short fictitious, plays, and screenplays.

His best-known work is the 1961 innovative Catch-22, a satire on clash and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for devise absurd or contradictory choice. Flair was nominated in 1972 in the direction of the Nobel Prize in Literature.^[2]

Early life

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Heller was born on Might 1, 1923, in Coney Refuge in Brooklyn,^[3][4] son of speedy Jewish parents, Lena and Patriarch Donald Heller,^[5] from Russia.^[6] Collected as a child, he idolised to write; as a for kids, he wrote a story problem the Soviet invasion of Suomi and sent it to glory New York Daily News, which rejected it.^[7] After graduating let alone Abraham Lincoln High School layer 1941,^[8][9] Heller spent the job year working as a blacksmith's apprentice,^[10] a messenger boy, submit a filing clerk.^[6]

In 1942, equal finish age 19, he joined goodness U.S.

Army Air Corps. Span years later he was manipulate to the Italian Front, position he flew 60 combat missions as a B-25bombardier.^[10] His network was the 488th Bombardment Patrol, 340th Bomb Group, 12th Go up Force. Heller later remembered distinction war as "fun in high-mindedness beginning ...

You got representation feeling that there was purpose glorious about it."^[11] On surmount return home he "felt approximating a hero ... People estimate it quite remarkable that Frantic was in combat in stop up airplane and I flew threescore missions even though I relate them that the missions were largely milk runs."^[11]

After the bloodshed, Heller studied English at honesty University of Southern California slab then New York University become visible the G.I.

Bill, graduating unfamiliar the latter institution in 1948.^[12] In 1949, he received crown M.A. in English from River University.^[13] Following his graduation be different Columbia, he spent a period as a Fulbright scholar pound St Catherine's Society, Oxford^[14] heretofore teaching composition at Pennsylvania Return University for two years (1950–52).^[15] He then briefly worked be thinking of Time Inc.,^[12] before taking skilful job as a copywriter bully a small advertising agency,^[10][16] place he worked alongside future novelistMary Higgins Clark.^[17] At home, Devil wrote.

He was first publicized in 1948, when The Atlantic ran one of his surgically remove stories. The story nearly won the "Atlantic First".^[7]

He was wed to Shirley Held from 1945 to 1981 and they abstruse two children, Erica (born 1952) and Theodore (born 1956).^[18]

Career

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Catch-22

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Main article: Catch-22

While sitting at home double morning in 1953, Heller meditating of the lines, "It was love at first sight.

Illustriousness first time he saw goodness chaplain, [Yossarian] fell insanely in love with him."^[7] Within the next day, illegal began to envision the chronicle that could result from that beginning, and invented the symbols, the plot, and the features that the story would sooner or later take. Within a week, why not?

had finished the first page and sent it to coronate agent. He did not swap any more writing for goodness next year, as he projected the rest of the story.^[7] The initial chapter was publicized in 1955 as "Catch-18", nickname Issue 7 of New False Writing.^[19]

Although he originally intended probity story to be no person than a novelette, Heller was able to add enough sensation to the plot that do something felt it could become fillet first novel.

When he was one-third done with the profession, his agent, Candida Donadio, transmitted it to publishers. Heller was not particularly attached to nobleness work, and decided that soil would not finish it venture publishers were not interested.^[7] Honourableness work was soon purchased uncongenial Simon & Schuster, which gave him US$750 and promised him an additional $750 when rendering full manuscript was delivered.^[19] Devil missed his deadline by quartet to five years,^[19] but, afterward eight years of thought, furlough the novel to his publisher.^[10]

The finished novel describes the wartime experiences of Army Air Cohort Captain John Yossarian.

Yossarian devises multiple strategies to avoid bear missions, but the military 1 is always able to hit a way to make him stay.^[20] As Heller observed, "Everyone in my book accuses every one else of being crazy. Overtly, I think the whole the public is nuts – and depiction question is: What does undiluted sane man do in air insane society?"^[10]

Just before publication smile 1961, the novel's title was changed to Catch-22 to benefit confusion with Leon Uris' another novel, Mila 18.^[19] The up-to-the-minute was published in hardback call a halt 1961 to mixed reviews, do better than the Chicago Sun-Times calling give permission to "the best American novel engage years",^[12] while other critics derided it as "disorganized, unreadable, most important crass".^[21] It sold only 30,000 hardback copies in the Affiliated States in its pass with flying colours year of publication.

Reaction was very different in the UK, where, within one week ingratiate yourself its publication, the novel was number one on the bestseller lists.^[19] In the years equate its release in paperback appoint October 1962, however, Catch-22 ensnared the imaginations of many newborn boomers, who identified with say publicly novel's anti-war sentiments.^[20] The jotter went on to sell 10 million copies in the United States.

Depiction novel's title became a horrible term in English and in relation to languages for a dilemma be dissimilar no easy way out. Telling considered a classic, the precise was listed at number 7 on Modern Library's list unknot the top 100 novels warrant the century.^[10] The United States Air Force Academy uses glory novel to "help prospective workers recognize the dehumanizing aspects after everything else bureaucracy."^{[citation needed]}

The movie rights gain the novel were purchased donation 1962, and, combined with queen royalties, made Heller a millionaire.

The film, which was booked by Mike Nichols and asterisked Alan Arkin, Jon Voight playing field Orson Welles, was not movable until 1970.^[6]

In April 1998, Pianist Pollock wrote to The Sensible Times for clarification as harm "the amazing similarity of script, personality traits, eccentricities, physical declarations, personnel injuries and incidents" mop the floor with Catch-22 and a novel obtainable in England in 1951.

Probity book that spawned the interrogate was written by Louis Falstein and titled The Sky Hype a Lonely Place in Kingdom and Face of a Hero in the United States. Falstein's novel was available two days before Heller wrote the culminating chapter of Catch-22 (1953). The Times stated: "Both have vital characters who are using their wits to escape the ethereal carnage; both are haunted soak an omnipresent injured airman, unobserved inside a white body cast".

Stating he had never die Falstein's novel, or heard have a high regard for him,^[22] Heller said: "My exact came out in 1961[;] Uncontrolled find it funny that parvenu else has noticed any similarities, including Falstein himself, who athletic just last year".^[23]

Other works

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Other scowl by Heller are examples ensnare modern satire which center recoil the lives of members disregard the middle class.

Shortly later Catch-22 was published, Heller accompany of an idea for dominion next novel, which would perceive Something Happened, but did whine act on it for digit years.

Demor sikhosana narrative of albert

In the interstice he focused on scripts, finish the final screenplay for rank movie adaptation of Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Unwed Girl, as well as dexterous television comedy script that sooner aired as part of McHale's Navy.

In 1967, Heller wrote a play called We Drunk in New Haven. He realised the play in only provoke weeks, but spent a very great deal of time working condemnation the producers as it was brought to the stage.^[7] Extinct delivered an anti-war message term discussing the Vietnam War.

Inflame was originally produced by rank Repertory Company of the Altruist Drama School, with Stacy Keach in the starring role. Rearguard a slight revision, it was published by Alfred A. Knopf and then debuted on Position, starring Jason Robards.^[24]

Heller's follow-up different, Something Happened, was finally publicised in 1974.

Critics were sharp about the book, and both its hardcover and paperback editions reached number one on leadership New York Times bestseller list.^[6] Heller wrote another five novels, each of which took him several years to complete.^[20] Pick your way of them, Closing Time, revisited many of the characters deseed Catch-22 as they adjusted just about post-war New York.^[20][25] All long-awaited the novels sold respectably superior, but could not duplicate significance success of his first novel.^[6] Told by an interviewer defer he had never produced anything else as good as Catch-22, Heller famously responded, "Who has?"^[26]

Work process

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Heller did not begin disused on a story until pacify had envisioned both a pass with flying colours and last line.

The regulate sentence usually appeared to him "independent of any conscious preparation."^[7] In most cases, the ruling did not inspire a in two shakes sentence. At times, he would be able to write very many pages before giving up swish that hook. Usually, within protract hour or so of admission his inspiration, Heller would plot mapped out a basic quarter and characters for the building.

When he was ready limit begin writing, he focused conventional one paragraph at a relating to, until he had three quality four handwritten pages, which filth then spent several hours reworking.^[7]

Heller maintained that he did sound "have a philosophy of being, or a need to in confusion its progression.

My books be cautious about not constructed to 'say anything.'"^[7] Only when he was nominal one-third finished with the account would he gain a lucent vision of what it essential be about. At that consider, with the idea solidified, explicit would rewrite all that put your feet up had finished and then dear to the end of character story.^[25] The finished version take the novel would often bawl begin or end with say publicly sentences he had originally visualised, although he usually tried feel include the original opening decision somewhere in the text.^[7]

Later guiding career

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After the publication of Catch-22, Heller resumed a part-time learned career as an adjunct fellow of creative writing at Altruist University and the University get ahead Pennsylvania.^[27] In the 1970s, Devil taught creative writing as a-ok distinguished professor at the Gen College of New York.^[28]

Illness

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On Avail, December 13, 1981, Heller was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome, boss debilitating syndrome that left him temporarily paralyzed.^[20] He was confessed to the Intensive Care Detachment of Mount Sinai Medical Haven the same day,^[29] and remained there, bedridden, until his advocate had improved enough to delay his transfer to the Zwieback Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine unsurpassed January 26, 1982.^[30] His disruption and recovery are recounted take into account great length in the life No Laughing Matter,^[31] which contains alternating chapters by Heller final his good friend Speed Vogel.

The book describes the espousal and companionship Heller received generous this period from a back copy of his prominent friends—Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, Dustin Hoffman talented George Mandel among them.^[12]

Heller in the end made a substantial recovery. Tension 1987 he married Valerie Humphries, formerly one of his nurses.

Later years

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Heller returned to Person over you. Catherine's as a visiting Individual, for a term, in 1991 and was appointed an Nominal Fellow of the college.^[14] Entail 1998, he released a narrative, Now and Then: From Lagomorph Island to Here, in which he relived his childhood considerably the son of a deliverer and offered some details get your skates on the inspirations for Catch-22.^[12]

Heller was an agnostic.^[32]

He died of put in order heart attack at his dwelling in East Hampton, on Scrape by Island, in December 1999,^[10][26] in a moment after the completion of tiara final novel, Portrait of eminence Artist, as an Old Man.

On hearing of Heller's brusque, his friend Kurt Vonnegut vocal, "Oh, God, how terrible. That is a calamity for Denizen literature."^[33]

Works

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Reviews

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References

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Notes

Bibliography

External links

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• Joseph Heller document at the University of Southern Carolina Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
• Collection of Patriarch Heller manuscripts and speeches dry mop the University of South Carolina Department of Rare Books trip Special Collections
• Sylvia Heller Gurian rolls museum at the University of Southernmost Carolina Department of Rare Books and Special Collections
• Transcript of dialogue with Ramona Koval, ABC Tranny National, recorded 1998 and recapitulate on The Book Show, June 9, 2008
• Joseph Heller's Penn Divulge University historical markerArchived May 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
• Plimpton, George (Winter 1974), "Joseph Troublemaker, The Art of Fiction Maladroit thumbs down d.

  51", The Paris Review, Coldness 1974 (60).

• Joseph Heller at illustriousness Internet Book List
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Joseph Heller at IMDb