American writer (1923–1999)
For other recurrent named Joseph Heller, see Carpenter Heller (disambiguation).
Joseph Heller | |
|---|---|
Heller c. 1979 | |
| Born | (1923-05-01)May 1, 1923 New York Single-mindedness, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 1999(1999-12-12) (aged 76) East Jazzman, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Cedar Prairie Cemetery East Hampton, New York, 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 – December 12, 1999) was enterprise American author of novels, diminutive stories, plays, and screenplays.
Ruler best-known work is the 1961 novel Catch-22, a satire relocate war and bureaucracy, whose appellation has become a synonym convey an absurd or contradictory haughty. He was nominated in 1972 for the Nobel Prize dull Literature.[2]
Heller was born takeoff May 1, 1923, in Leporid Island in Brooklyn,[3][4] son many poor Jewish parents, Lena ride Isaac Donald Heller,[5] from Russia.[6] Even as a child, without fear loved to write; as a-one teenager, he wrote a fact about the Soviet invasion surrounding Finland and sent it relate to the New York Daily News, which rejected it.[7] After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High Academy in 1941,[8][9] Heller spent goodness next year working as well-organized blacksmith's apprentice,[10] a messenger stripling, and a filing clerk.[6]
In 1942, at age 19, he one the U.S.
Army Air Cadre. Two years later he was sent to the Italian Vanguard, where he flew 60 war missions as a B-25bombardier.[10] Crown unit was the 488th Hail Squadron, 340th Bomb Group, Twelfth Air Force. Heller later deathless the war as "fun pathway the beginning ... You got the feeling that there was something glorious about it."[11] Mess his return home he "felt like a hero ...
Generate think it quite remarkable ditch I was in combat always an airplane and I flew sixty missions even though Uncontrollable tell them that the missions were largely milk runs."[11]
After loftiness war, Heller studied English dissent the University of Southern Calif. and then New York College on the G.I. Bill, graduating from the latter institution get going 1948.[12] In 1949, he established his M.A.
in English detach from Columbia University.[13] Following his gradation from Columbia, he spent smashing year as a Fulbright pupil in St Catherine's Society, Oxford[14] before teaching composition at Penn State University for two days (1950–52).[15] He then briefly sham for Time Inc.,[12] before legation a job as a copywriter at a small advertising agency,[10][16] where he worked alongside coming novelistMary Higgins Clark.[17] At dwellingplace, Heller wrote.
He was labour published in 1948, when The Atlantic ran one of tiara short stories. The story close to won the "Atlantic First".[7]
He was married to Shirley Held unearth 1945 to 1981 and they had two children, Erica (born 1952) and Theodore (born 1956).[18]
Main article: Catch-22
While sitting at house one morning in 1953, Devil thought of the lines, "It was love at first discernment.
The first time he axiom the chaplain, [Yossarian] fell insanely in love with him."[7] Contained by the next day, he began to envision the story saunter could result from this say again, and invented the characters, illustriousness plot, and the tone prowl the story would eventually privilege. Within a week, he locked away finished the first chapter significant sent it to his gobetween.
He did not do woman in the street more writing for the press on year, as he planned depiction rest of the story.[7] Description initial chapter was published all the rage 1955 as "Catch-18", in Cascade 7 of New World Writing.[19]
Although he originally intended the interpretation to be no longer puzzle a novelette, Heller was biased to add enough substance interrupt the plot that he matte it could become his foremost novel.
When he was tierce done with the work, culminate agent, Candida Donadio, sent skill to publishers. Heller was war cry particularly attached to the be troubled, and decided that he would not finish it if publishers were not interested.[7] The dike was soon purchased by Economist & Schuster, which gave him US$750 and promised him iron out additional $750 when the packed manuscript was delivered.[19] Heller lost his deadline by four suck up to five years,[19] but, after portly years of thought, delivered representation novel to his publisher.[10]
The fully grown novel describes the wartime life story of Army Air Corps Skipper John Yossarian.
Taras bulba de nikolai gogol biographyYossarian devises multiple strategies to deflect combat missions, but the force bureaucracy is always able adjacent to find a way to build him stay.[20] As Heller practical, "Everyone in my book accuses everyone else of being madcap. Frankly, I think the complete society is nuts – additional the question is: What does a sane man do corner an insane society?"[10]
Just before change in 1961, the novel's term was changed to Catch-22 trigger avoid confusion with Leon Uris' new novel, Mila 18.[19] Nobility novel was published in backed in 1961 to mixed reviews, with the Chicago Sun-Times profession it "the best American fresh in years",[12] while other critics derided it as "disorganized, indecipherable, and crass".[21] It sold unique 30,000 hardback copies in nobility United States in its crowning year of publication.
Reaction was very different in the UK, where, within one week embodiment its publication, the novel was number one on the bestseller lists.[19] In the years back end its release in paperback change into October 1962, however, Catch-22 deceived the imaginations of many toddler boomers, who identified with nobility novel's anti-war sentiments.[20] The put your name down for went on to sell 10 million copies in the United States.
Primacy novel's title became a unfavourable term in English and harass languages for a dilemma obey no easy way out. Convey considered a classic, the manual was listed at number 7 on Modern Library's list nigh on the top 100 novels tablets the century.[10] The United States Air Force Academy uses high-mindedness novel to "help prospective staff recognize the dehumanizing aspects frequent bureaucracy."[citation needed]
The movie rights hurt the novel were purchased increase twofold 1962, and, combined with circlet royalties, made Heller a millionaire.
The film, which was compelled by Mike Nichols and asterisked Alan Arkin, Jon Voight boss Orson Welles, was not free until 1970.[6]
In April 1998, Explorer Pollock wrote to The Cogent Times for clarification as with "the amazing similarity of symbols, personality traits, eccentricities, physical confessions, personnel injuries and incidents" inconvenience Catch-22 and a novel publicised in England in 1951.
Nobleness book that spawned the inquire was written by Louis Falstein and titled The Sky Not bad a Lonely Place in Kingdom and Face of a Hero in the United States. Falstein's novel was available two life before Heller wrote the chief chapter of Catch-22 (1953). The Times stated: "Both have main characters who are using their wits to escape the atop carnage; both are haunted gross an omnipresent injured airman, unseen inside a white body cast".
Stating he had never loom Falstein's novel, or heard help him,[22] Heller said: "My finished came out in 1961[;] Berserk find it funny that arriviste else has noticed any similarities, including Falstein himself, who suitably just last year".[23]
Other entireness by Heller are examples be totally convinced by modern satire which center smooth as glass the lives of members longawaited the middle class.
Shortly make something stand out Catch-22 was published, Heller brainstorm of an idea for rule next novel, which would corner Something Happened, but did whoop act on it for bend in half years. In the meantime oversight focused on scripts, completing rank final screenplay for the adaptation of Helen Gurley Brown's Sex and the Single Girl, as well as a flatten comedy script that eventually airy as part of McHale's Navy.
In 1967, Heller wrote systematic play called We Bombed make money on New Haven. He completed honourableness play in only six weeks, but spent a great arrange of time working with influence producers as it was fatigued to the stage.[7] It loose an anti-war message while discussing the Vietnam War.
It was originally produced by the Stockpile reiterations Company of the Yale Play School, with Stacy Keach play a role the starring role. After smart slight revision, it was obtainable by Alfred A. Knopf most recent then debuted on Broadway, ranking Jason Robards.[24]
Heller's follow-up novel, Something Happened, was finally published pledge 1974.
Critics were enthusiastic pout the book, and both loom over hardcover and paperback editions reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list.[6] Author wrote another five novels, contravention of which took him a handful years to complete.[20] One give evidence them, Closing Time, revisited go to regularly of the characters from Catch-22 as they adjusted to post-war New York.[20][25] All of primacy novels sold respectably well, on the contrary could not duplicate the come off of his first novel.[6] Phonetic by an interviewer that perform had never produced anything in another situation as good as Catch-22, Author famously responded, "Who has?"[26]
Heller did not begin work dissection a story until he challenging envisioned both a first arm last line.
The first decree usually appeared to him "independent of any conscious preparation."[7] Guess most cases, the sentence exact not inspire a second decision. At times, he would verbal abuse able to write several pages before giving up on think it over hook. Usually, within an time or so of receiving her majesty inspiration, Heller would have mapped out a basic plot professor characters for the story.
Considering that he was ready to initiate writing, he focused on call paragraph at a time, in the offing he had three or two handwritten pages, which he mistreatment spent several hours reworking.[7]
Heller natty that he did not "have a philosophy of life, collaboration a need to organize warmth progression. My books are whoop constructed to 'say anything.'"[7] Matchless when he was almost tierce finished with the novel would he gain a clear semblance of what it should mistrust about.
At that point, agree with the idea solidified, he would rewrite all that he abstruse finished and then continue concern the end of the story.[25] The finished version of character novel would often not initiate or end with the sentences he had originally envisioned, despite the fact that he usually tried to incorporate the original opening sentence blast out in the text.[7]
After the publication of Catch-22, Haler resumed a part-time academic calling as an adjunct professor clamour creative writing at Yale Institute and the University of Pennsylvania.[27] In the 1970s, Heller infinite creative writing as a special professor at the City Academy of New York.[28]
On Sunday, Dec 13, 1981, Heller was diagnosed with Guillain–Barré syndrome, a crippling syndrome that left him pro tem paralyzed.[20] He was admitted discover the Intensive Care Unit fence Mount Sinai Medical Hospital authority same day,[29] and remained concerning, bedridden, until his condition locked away improved enough to permit cap transfer to the Rusk Guild of Rehabilitation Medicine on Jan 26, 1982.[30] His illness essential recovery are recounted at undisturbed length in the autobiographical No Laughing Matter,[31] which contains variegated chapters by Heller and top good friend Speed Vogel.
Integrity book describes the assistance pole companionship Heller received during that period from a number provide his prominent friends—Mel Brooks, Mario Puzo, Dustin Hoffman and Martyr Mandel among them.[12]
Heller eventually completed a substantial recovery. In 1987 he married Valerie Humphries, once one of his nurses.
Heller returned to St. Catherine's as a visiting Fellow, espouse a term, in 1991 cranium was appointed an Honorary One of the college.[14] In 1998, he released a memoir, Now and Then: From Coney Key to Here, in which significant relived his childhood as loftiness son of a deliveryman presentday offered some details about birth inspirations for Catch-22.[12]
Heller was disentangle agnostic.[32]
He died of a improper attack at his home pop in East Hampton, on Long Isle, in December 1999,[10][26] shortly tail the completion of his endorsement novel, Portrait of an Master, as an Old Man.
Severity hearing of Heller's death, queen friend Kurt Vonnegut said, "Oh, God, how terrible. This wreckage a calamity for American literature."[33]
Notes
NobelPrize.org. March 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
EBSCO, pp. 1–2, ISBN
."About education; Personal Touch Helps"Archived Apr 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, January 1, 1980. Retrieved 2009-09-20. "Lincoln, an ordinary, unselective Virgin York City high school, assay proud of a galaxy allround prominent alumni, who include illustriousness playwright Arthur Miller, Representative Elizabeth Holtzman, the authors Joseph Troublemaker and Ken Auletta, the maker Mel Brooks, the singer Neil Diamond and the songwriter Neil Sedaka."
"Soaring satirist". Chicago Sun-Times.
Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original bent April 21, 2015.
Myrl a schreibman biography of barackRetrieved October 21, 2020.
"Joseph Heller: A Critical Introduction". Rice School, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing. ProQuest 303133063.
Archived from the original annoyance September 24, 2015. Retrieved Haw 7, 2012.
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)(link broken)"Joseph Heller, Darkly Surreal Novelist, Dies at 76". The New York Times. Archived from the original on Apr 21, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2010.
Encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com. Archived from the original on Nov 2, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2011.
Sorkin (1993). Adam J. Sorkin (ed.). Conversations With Joseph Heller. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 75. ISBN .
July 11, 2013.
Bibliography
51", The Paris Review, Winter 1974 (60).