Catch-22 is 50

Well, that milestone had been past a couple of days ago having first been published on October 11, 1961 (I was sure it was first published in the 50s, but not so, according to publisher Simon & Schuster), but I must say it was my favourite book, and possibly remains my favourite book of fiction of all time.

As is obvious by now, the book title originated the phrase, which is now often used to describe a no-win situation, or the state of being “between a rock and a hard place”. The book is uproariously funny, and I have read it twice over many years ago. I am not sure how it is that Joseph Heller found a way to make me laugh one minute and have me gasp over a major tragedy the next minute, but he found a way. There are not many books written like that, and as Stephen King said of Heller’s book: his style can’t be imitated.

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