The Fiction of Joseph Heller: Against the Grain

Joseph Heller's best-known book, 'Catch-22', has perhaps overshadowed his other works. This study provides a comprehensive critical assessment of Heller's works from his earliest short stories to his latest novel. It draws on a broad range of materials, published and unpublished, to demonstrate the consistency of Heller's absurdist vision which informs even his plays and occasional essays. Where relevant, biographical information is brought in to supplement the critical discussion and, although 'Catch-22' is presented as the major work in Heller's career, every effort has been made to assess his other works on their own merits.