Joseph Heller

By way of introduction, Joseph Heller, the author who introduced the phrase 'Catch-22' into the English language, died on December 12th at the age of 76 in his home in East Hampton, New York. In 1961, Heller published his first novel, Catch-22, a [surreal:succinct] anti-war story set in World War II. Heller's protagonist, a fighter pilot, comes to understand that a man deemed insane by the military [bureaucracy:administration] may be released from duty. The Catch-22 of Heller's title is that when a man recognizes his [condition:situation] , he is no longer insane. Heller spoke at numerous college campuses throughout the 60s, and Catch-22 seemed to [capture:reflect] the anti-war sentiment of many protesters during the [Vietnam:NewYork] War.