Catch As Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings

Heller, Joseph; Bucker, Park; Bruccoli, Matthew Joseph

ISBN 10: 0743243749 / ISBN 13: 9780743243742

Published by Simon & Schuster, Riverside, New Jersey, U.S.A., 2003

About this Item

(1st) Edited by Matthew J. Bruccoli and Park Bucker. Slightly smaller book, dark blue cloth spine, speckled cream boards, very bright gilt lettering on spine, 333 pages. DJ heavy paper, cream color in background with red, blue and black lettering, b/w photo of Heller on back. DJ has small surface wear spot at top front right. Remainder mark at pages' bottom edge. Near Fine DJ/Very Fine book.

Seller Inventory # 35648

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Catch As Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Riverside, New Jersey, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743243749
• ISBN 13: 9780743243742
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Short Story

About this title

Synopsis

Long before there was a Catch-22, before there was even a Catch-18 (the novel's original title), Joseph Heller had begun sharpening his skills as a writer, searching for the voice that would best express the peculiarly wry view that he held of the world. Starting in 1945, with the publication in Story magazine of the short story "I Don't Love You Anymore," Heller began to reach out to an audience of readers damaged and disillusioned by their experiences during World War II. That story dealt with the return home of an American soldier who was having more than a little trouble adjusting. The stories published following this debut continued to reflect people at odds with the world around them, usually featuring the "little guy," the "underdog," the "average Joe" who beats the odds by surviving in a generally hostile and unwelcoming world. Written in what is termed the "New York Style," his were stories of urban naturalism, realistic and straightforward, emulating the work of such writers as Irwin Shaw, William Saroyan, John O'Hara, and -- perhaps most especially -- Nelson Algren. For Heller, writing these stories was a part of the learning process, his education on how to get across his own point of view, leading up to the publication of his masterpiece, Catch-22. Of the stories in this collection, thirteen were written before 1961, when Catch-22 was published; of those, five have never before been published. After Catch-22, Heller forsook the short story form. Though five stories were published after 1961, one -- "World Full of Great Cities" -- was actually written in 1949, three of the other four are spin-offs of Catch-22, and one is a preview of Closing Time. Rounding out this collection of the complete published short writings of Joseph Heller are a short play and several nonfiction pieces, mostly related to Catch-22.

About the Author

When Joseph Heller died in 1999, he left behind a remarkable collection of novels that will be read and discussed for generations to come. Now, with the publication of Catch As Catch Can, readers, critics, and scholars can finally assess the complete work of this important, remarkable writer.