Joseph Heller Knihy

So svojráznym prístupom a humoristicko-satirickým podtónom nám dvaja autori-kamaráti, umelci-bonviáni, gurmáni a obdivovatelia pekných žien - na pozadí nepríjemného nemocničného prostredia podávajú fascinujúcu atmosféru americkej metropoly hmýriacej sa slávnymi osobnosťami zo sveta filmu, šoubiznisu, hudby a literatúry (Mario Puzo, Dustin Hoffman, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Paul Simon) i príslušníkmi smotánky, ku ktorým patria aj členovia kennedyovskej rodiny...

Hlava XXII sa nepodobá žiadnej knihe, ktorú ste čítali. Má svoj štýl, svoju logiku, svoj výnimočný charakter a rukopis. Neustále balansuje medzi komikou a hororom. Je výstredne zábavná a pôsobivá. V knihe o osudoch Yossariana a jeho letky bombardérov útočiacich na Taliansko vychádza Heller z vlastných skúseností a svojou knihou predznamenal to, čo v americkej kultúre naplno otvorila vietnamská vojna. Kniha je originálna, tak ako aj ďalšie jeho knihy.

Portrét starého umelca je posledné dielo popredného amerického prozaika Josepha Hellera, ukončené krátko pred smrťou. Je to dojímavá, fascinujúca sonda do myslenia starnúceho spisovateľa, ktorý spätne hodnotí svoj život a hľadá inšpiráciu na svoju novú knihu.

Hlavným hrdinom románu je Bob Sloucum, priemerne úspešný úradník obchodnej firmy, ktorý si kladie otázku, čo sa stalo s jeho rodinou, s manželkou, s jeho snami a túžbami. Narušené medziľudské vzťahy, tápanie v začarovanom kruhu ambícií, morálnych kompromisov a spoločenských tlakov ho núti mysliet na pôvod a príčinu strácajúcich sa ideálov. Bezvýchodiskovosť situácie pri hľadaní zmyslu života je pre Boba Slocuma pri ironickom, typicky hellerovskom humore tragédiou bytia.

Román popredného amerického spisovateľa zaiste vyvolá ľahký úsmev a možno aj hlasný smiech nad grotesknými situáciami v živote hrdinu, ale aj nepríjemné, trpké pocity a vari až obavy z budúcnosti ľudstva.

Voľné pokračovanie slávneho románu Hlava XXII, v ktorom autor bravúrne zachytil tragikomickú podstatu vojny. Čitateľ sa po 33 rokoch znova stretáva s postavami, ktoré medzitým zostarli, no nie vždy zmúdreli, a sleduje ich osudy v civilnom živote. Už nebojujú s Nemcami, ale s chorobami, so starobou a s koncom, so záverečnou pre všetkých. Záverečná! je šokujúcim a invenčným pohľadom na moderný svet konca 20. storočia, mrazivý opis kolapsu západného sveta a zároveň nesmierne zábavná čierna komédia, ktorá sa nepochybne radí medzi nesmrteľné americké romány.

The novel is an eclectic journey across three historical periods, all connected by Rembrandt van Rijn's painting, Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer. With constant reflection between the different eras, we jump back & forth between the time of Aristotle, Rembrandt & Heller: the Golden Age of Athens, the 17th century golden age of Holland & the golden age of the USA. Like Heller's version of King David's story, God Knows, the author changes little in the storyline of the original–-he excels in narrative & historical counterpoints, some explicit, some implicit. Incomprehension may have contributed to the cool reception this book received. Heller concludes that we don't learn from history. In fact, so much of history may be nonfactual that learning may be impossible. Being a pessimistic chronicler of the American Century, his main unspoken theme is the parallel between the onetime Hellenic overlord & his home country. This is most apparent in his treatment of the downfall of Athens, when after the victory over Persia, it formed the Delian League & got embroiled in the Peloponnesian War. He describes a beacon of democracy that destroys its advances, transforming them into tools of abuse, turning on its own allies just to demonstrate its power & losing to weaker enemies due to self-deception.

Joseph Heller's powerful, wonderfully funny, deeply moving novel is the story of David -- yes, King David -- but as you've never seen him before. You already know David as the legendary warrior king of Israel, husband of Bathsheba, and father of Solomon; now meet David as he really the cocky Jewish kid, the plagiarized poet, and the Jewish father. Listen as David tells his own story, a story both relentlessly ancient and surprisingly modern, about growing up and growing old, about men and women, and about man and God. It is quintessential Heller.

The demented Army Air Force of Catch-22, the lethal business world of Something Happened, and the dysfunctional family of Good as Gold are rooted in Joseph Heller's past. Over thirty-five years after Catch-22's explosion into the world, Heller shares his life story. He recounts his Coney Island childhood during the Depression, growing up in a fatherless family yet enjoying life on the boardwalk, in the ocean, and in school. His journey includes various jobs, from delivering telegrams to working in a navy yard, leading to his service in the air force during World War II. After the war, he attended college thanks to the G.I. Bill, pursued teaching, and ventured into Madison Avenue, all while continuously writing. The success of Catch-22 marked the beginning of a remarkable literary career. The strengths of this memoir lie in the energy, humor, and mischief characteristic of Heller's work, alongside the dark undertones that accompany them. He vividly recalls a Coney Island that symbolizes fun and a seemingly golden age of innocence. For the first time, he discusses the people and events that inspired memorable characters and scenes in his writing. This memoir offers both an account of a remarkable life and insight into the creative process of a major American writer.

The previously uncollected writings of Joseph Heller, including hitherto unpublished stories, lost chapters from CATCH-22 and further tales from that novel's unforgettable 'hero', Yossarian.

Fifty years after its original publication, 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. This fiftieth-anniversary edition commemorates Joseph Heller’s masterpiece with a new introduction by Christopher Buckley; a wealth of critical essays and reviews by Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others; rare papers and photos from Joseph Heller’s personal archive; and much more. Here, at last, is the definitive edition of a classic of world literature.

De zwarte humor, de absurde logica en onvergetelijke personages als Yossarian, de bommenrichter die denkt dat de vijand erop uit is hem te vermoorden, en de gewiekste messofficier Milo Minderbinder, maken Joseph Hellers Catch-22 tot een indrukwekkend boek. Catch-22 is de oorlogsroman die alle andere oorlogsromans overbodig maakt: origineel, bitter, vulgair, geestig, spitsvondig en ontroerend.

"Catch 22, also Falle 22 oder Trick 22- das ist die ebenso irrsinnige wie ausweglose Dienstanweisung für das amerikanische Bombengeschwader, der zufolge Bomberpilot Yossarian nur dann von weiteren Einsätzen verschont bleibt, wenn er als verrückt anerkannt wird. Verrückt aber kann niemand sein, der sich weigern will, immer weitere großenteils sinnlose Einsätze zu fliegen. Also muß Yossarian ebenso wie seine Kameraden weiterfliegen, obwohl er sich die größte Mühe gibt, als verrückt zu erscheinen. Durch scheinbar absurdes Verhalten der militärischen Maschinerie ihre eigene Absurdität zu demonstrieren. Aber die Kriegsmaschinerie, gespeist aus persönlichem Ehrgeiz, Dummheit, Brutalität und Duckmäuserei, erkennt ihren eigenen Irrsinn nicht in dem Spiegel, den Yossarian - im Grunde der einzig Normale unter lauter Verrückten - vorhält." (fischer)