Everyman's Library Catch-22: Introduction by Malcolm Bradbury

Good condition, HAD to get a physical copy of catch22

More about the book itself than the story - the quality of the paper is low and the ink bleeds so the words aren't sharp. Buying this paperback is an advert for switching to an ereader.

Not really impressed with the cover paper material but the book is really good.

Per la contradizion che nol consente! Ecco spiegato catch 22. Non l'ilarita' sconcia del capolavoro di Hasek il buon soldato Sveijk, ne' la furbizia contadina del soldato Chonkin di Voijnovic, Heller, ci presenta la disperata lotta del capitano Yossarian contro il muro di gomma dei regolamenti militari interpretati con la piu' vieta ottusita' da superiori carrieristi disposti a passare sopra ad ufficiali tenutari di bordelli in una Roma liberata ma putrescente, al mercato nero su tutto il bacino mediterraneo, medici incapaci, cappellani militari pavidi e miscredenti. Decine di personaggi fanno da contorno al gigante Yossarian navigatore di un bombardiere B25 Mitchell ,lo stesso su cui volava Heller, di stanza col suo squadrone sull'isola di Pianosa durante i bombardamenti sulla linea gotica nella II guerra mondiale, in lotta contro l'inesistente Catch 22 per chiedere di essere esentato dalla missioni perche' pazzo, ma uno che chiede di essere esentato dalle missioni non puo' essere pazzo. La probabilita' di morire in combattimento aumenta con l'aumentare del numero delle missioni, ma da 50 vengono elevate a 70 per le perdite dei commilitoni, rendendo sempre piu' disperata la sua battaglia personale. Ho conosciuto l'ambiente militare (ufficiale medico di cpl in una caserma di punizione del nordest alpino in piena guerra fredda) e la ingegnosa stupidita' dei regolamenti, in particolare il regolamento imperfezioni infermita', quello che stabiliva che l'altezza minima per essere arruolati era di 151 cm, quella Vittorio Emanuele III, con tante altre amenita' di stampo lombrosiano e l'acribia dei medici dell'ospedale militare nell'applicarlo. Niente a che vedere con la stupida ferocia di questi ufficiali superiori, ultimo epigono il colonnello Killgore di apocalypse now quello del profumo del napalm al mattino e del surf previa napalizzazione del villaggio vietnamita! Non si possono riassumere le infinite sfaccettature di queste 560 pagine: per farsene un'idea bisogna leggerlo. Aspettiamo il film di George Clooney girato in Sardegna, del primo, seppure di Nichols, ricordo un pallido cameo di Art Garfunkel.

Catch-22 is a tragicomic novel specifying the efforts of a man named Yossarian, a captain in the US Army Air Force, to avoid flying any more combat missions. The novel takes place on Pianosa, a small Italian island, during the Second World War.At first he tries to get medically grounded on the basis of insanity, but Doc Daneeka, the group’s medic, argues that Yossarian cannot be insane if he wants to avoid death by getting out of having to fly. This is termed a Catch-22. Yossarian spends the remainder of the novel trying to combat the Catch-22 and convince the military brass that he should be sent home. Every time a soldier meets his target of flying the number of missions, colonel would increase the target and it becomes a never-ending scenario for each soldier.Highlight of the novel is its dark comedy. Many characters in Catch-22 undergo moral crises, wherein they must decide between self-interest (a concern for their own safety and wellbeing) or altruism (a concern for the wellbeing of others).But it is Yossarian’s personal development, his progression from self-interest to altruism that defines the moral arc of Catch-22. In the beginning, Yossarian is content to forge the chaplain’s signature, resist his bombing runs, and otherwise either plan tricks to avoid responsibility or “go with the flow” in his time with the Army. But as his friends—including Clevinger, Orr, Nately, and Dunbar—either die or disappear, Yossarian’s attitude changes. He loses Luciana and Nurse Duckett; he learns that Aarfy has committed rape and murder; he sees scenes of total destruction in Rome, and of great human suffering. He realizes, like Dunbar, that he can no longer bomb innocent civilians for no reason, just to please his superiors.Yossarian’s personal development reaches a climax in his full recollection of Snowden’s death. The destruction he had seen in Rome – disturbing scenes like including animal abuse, child abuse, rape, and murder, he decides that he doesn’t want anything to do with all these terrible people. Snowden’s death and Rome make him present to frailty of human beings.It begins with humor but as the story moves we come across bureaucracy of the Army heads, fears, weaknesses, morality, immoralities, confusion of soldiers.Characters are really very interesting and they will live in your memories forever – Major Major, Orr, Doc Daneeka and other characters are Milo Minderbinder, Chaplain Tappman, Chief White Halfoat, Flume, Aarfy, Nately, Colonel Cathcart, Colonel Korn, General Dreedle and Peckem, General Dreedle’s son-in-law, Dunar, Soldier in white, Snowden, Major Danby, Clevinger, Havermeyer, Hungry Joe, McWatt, Nately, Scheisskopf (his craze for parades), Wintergreen, Major ______ de Coverley, Captain Black, Kid Sampson, Piltchard and Wren, Nurses Duckett and Cramer, Corporal Whitcomb, Dobbs (his part is small but very funny), Major Sanderson.Novel is so brilliant that I can write separate articles for each characters / sub-plots/ humor / morality / human grounds / emotions, etc. But I will not write so much.