| Catch as Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings Contributor(s): Heller, Joseph (Author), Bruccoli, Matthew J. (Editor), Bucker, Park (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0743257936 ISBN-13: 9780743257930 Publisher: Simon & Schuster OUR PRICE: $15.30 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2004 Annotation: Years before the publication of "Catch-22" ("A monumental artifact of contemporary literature" -- "The New York Times; " "An apocalyptic masterpiece" -- "Chicago Sun-Times; " "One of the most bitterly funny works in the language" -- "The New Republic"), Joseph Heller began sharpening his skills as a writer, searching for the voice that would best express his own peculiarly wry view of the world. In "Catch As Catch Can," editors Matthew J. Bruccoli and Park Bucker have for the first time collected the short stories Heller published prior to that first novel, along with all the other short pieces of fiction and nonfiction that were published during his lifetime. Also included are five previously unpublished short stories, most reflecting the influence on Heller of urban naturalist writers such as Irwin Shaw and Nelson Algren. The result is an important and significant addition to our understanding and appreciation of Joseph Heller, showing his evolution as a writer and artist. For those unfamiliar with his work, it will serve as an excellent introduction; for everyone else, "Catch As Catch Can" is a chance to explore a new aspect of Heller's remarkable career.
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| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Short Stories (single Author) - Fiction | Literary |
| Dewey: FIC |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 5.49" W x 8.37" (0.69 lbs) 352 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A collection of short stories and other miscellaneous writings by Joseph Heller, one of America's most influential and idiosyncratic writers. Years before the publication of Catch-22--which was called "a monumental artifact of contemporary literature" by The New York Times, "an apocalyptic masterpiece" by the Chicago Sun-Times, and "one of the most bitterly funny works in the language" by The New Republic--Joseph Heller began sharpening his skills as a writer, searching for the voice that would best express his own peculiarly wry view of the world. In Catch As Catch Can, editors Matthew J. Bruccoli and Park Bucker have for the first time collected the short stories Heller published prior to that first novel, along with all the other short pieces of fiction and nonfiction that were published during his lifetime. Also included are five previously unpublished short stories, most reflecting the influence on Heller of urban naturalist writers such as Irwin Shaw and Nelson Algren. The result is an important and significant addition to our understanding and appreciation of Joseph Heller, showing his evolution as a writer and artist. For those unfamiliar with his work, it will serve as an excellent introduction; for everyone else, Catch As Catch Can is a chance to explore a new aspect of Heller's remarkable career. |
Contributor Bio(s): Heller, Joseph: - Joseph Heller was born in Brooklyn in 1923. In 1961, he published Catch-22, which became a bestseller and, in 1970, a film. He went on to write such novels as Good as Gold, God Knows, Picture This, Closing Time, and Portrait of an Artist, as an Old Man. Heller died in 1999. |