Joseph Heller

Born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents, Joseph Heller joined the US Army Air Force, at age 19, in 1942, and ended up flying 60 missions during the Second World War, many of which were not dangerous (and would go on to form the basis for the “milk runs” described in Catch-22). Heller studied at the University of Southern California, NYU, and Columbia, and was a Fulbright scholar at Oxford. He taught English literature, briefly, and worked in magazine publishing. Heller began writing Catch-22 in 1953, eventually completing the novel and seeing it published in 1961. It was not an overnight success, but its paperback release caused it to become a cult favorite, especially among young people. A movie based on the novel was released in 1970, and at this point Heller had achieved a good deal of fame. Heller wrote numerous other novels, some of which were well received, although none achieved the renown of Catch-22. He taught at City College of New York and other universities later in life.