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Catch As Catch Can: The Collected Stories and Other Writings
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 Also included are five previously unpublished short stories, most reflecting the influence on Heller of urban naturalist writers such as Irwin Shaw and Nelson Algren.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.
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 Also included are five previously unpublished short stories, most reflecting the influence on Heller of urban naturalist writers such as Irwin Shaw and Nelson Algren.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.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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About the author
Joseph Heller
74 books3,018 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Joseph Heller was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel Catch-22, a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. He was nominated in 1972 for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Joseph Heller was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel Catch-22, a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice. He was nominated in 1972 for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
May 31, 2016
Finally - another decent Heller book. I finished reading all of Heller's novels over the course of the past year and a half and wanted to finish his collection with this one, and I'm glad I did. I realize there are autobiographies, plays, and screenplays I could read that he wrote, but after completing his novels and short stories, I feel like I've had enough Heller.
Catch-22, Heller's first novel, was really great. I enjoyed the zaniness of it, the wacky characters, the brutal honesty about wartime, etc. The rest of his novels were not so great. They take too long to start and don't really go anywhere.
And that's why I was pleasantly surprised - almost blown away - by the quality of Heller's short stories. I'm wondering if he should've just stuck to the short format, because he did a really great job with them. He wrote about things he experienced or knew about and it makes for a great collection of stories. There are also some non-fiction pieces that aren't too shabby either. If you liked Catch-22 and are interested in more Heller, I'd check out this book rather than wade through his novels.
Catch-22, Heller's first novel, was really great. I enjoyed the zaniness of it, the wacky characters, the brutal honesty about wartime, etc. The rest of his novels were not so great. They take too long to start and don't really go anywhere.
And that's why I was pleasantly surprised - almost blown away - by the quality of Heller's short stories. I'm wondering if he should've just stuck to the short format, because he did a really great job with them. He wrote about things he experienced or knew about and it makes for a great collection of stories. There are also some non-fiction pieces that aren't too shabby either. If you liked Catch-22 and are interested in more Heller, I'd check out this book rather than wade through his novels.
May 29, 2008
Like any collection of short stories ranging an author's life, this was uneven. The bad stories certainly were no Catch-22, but they were never rancid either. And the good stories (some of which dealt with characters from Catch-22) were Heller at his best. The lesser stories don't put much of a damper on all of the good ones, so I'd highly recommend it. The last story "Coney Island: The Fun is Over" was a surprise, and quite good.
June 4, 2019
Hit and miss--the best parts have a very similar tone to Catch-22.
September 13, 2024
Catch As Catch Can by Joseph Heller
It was nice getting to know the other Heller, deprived of the prose experiments and less snarky. As it happens with collected works, there were both "good" and "bad" stories--things I liked much and not so. Among my favorites are "Castle of Snow", "MacAdam's Log", "The Death of a Dying Swan". Might as well recommended one to our book club. Reading the cut passages from Catch-22 as well as the entirety of the essay section was a special treat. All in all, a great compilation for those who wish to know Heller more.
It was nice getting to know the other Heller, deprived of the prose experiments and less snarky. As it happens with collected works, there were both "good" and "bad" stories--things I liked much and not so. Among my favorites are "Castle of Snow", "MacAdam's Log", "The Death of a Dying Swan". Might as well recommended one to our book club. Reading the cut passages from Catch-22 as well as the entirety of the essay section was a special treat. All in all, a great compilation for those who wish to know Heller more.
Want to read
November 14, 2008Found this at a TJ Maxx, of all places. It's a British edition. It was three dollars. I'm still puzzled.
January 16, 2017
Insightful look at the short stories written by Joseph Heller. I appreciated the simplicity of his early writing.
October 3, 2021
Four stars because the writings at the end are amazing. The rest of the book is just okay imo.
October 5, 2021
Catch As Catch Can is a catch-all book, picking up the post-humous loose threads of Joseph Heller's writings. There's collected short stories from various magazines as well as some unpublished work, a scene from the play Catch-22 that didn't make the cut, and his thoughts on the making of the movie. They all stand on their own, but without knowing Catch-22 I presume the read wouldn't have the same impact. In a sense, this is Heller's Silmarillion.
In theory, the book would work better for the public if we removed all the Yossarian stuff, and stuck to the short stories. But it sure is good to hear from Heller again. The man is positively chummy. He's the sort of writer that you want to go over his house for a drink, cause he's a pal, and cheer him up, cause he's a sourpuss. I guess I'm a sucker for a friendly sourpuss.
But boy, does Heller make full meals out of disillusionment. It's piled on thick in most all his short stories, as well as the story of his trip to post-war Corsica. It's a meandering, pointless story, and that's the point. Heller returns to Corsica to talk to people about the war, but no one in Corsica wants to talk about the war. The tourism business and American money is great, but who wants to remember an Italy in turmoil? His children, dragging behind him, would rather spend time on the beach. Heller's mind is yanking at every interesting detail he can find, but he never finds what he's looking for in Corsica. He never finds someone who will commiserate with him, or tell him what the war meant, and eventually he must go home.
The story operates as connective tissue in this book, linking the real life Heller to his short stories. So much of Heller's work is the desire to be part of a group, and to be understood, and the betrayal that comes when one realizes they must ultimately be responsible for themselves. It's not a satisfying story, but there are times that it feels really true.
In theory, the book would work better for the public if we removed all the Yossarian stuff, and stuck to the short stories. But it sure is good to hear from Heller again. The man is positively chummy. He's the sort of writer that you want to go over his house for a drink, cause he's a pal, and cheer him up, cause he's a sourpuss. I guess I'm a sucker for a friendly sourpuss.
But boy, does Heller make full meals out of disillusionment. It's piled on thick in most all his short stories, as well as the story of his trip to post-war Corsica. It's a meandering, pointless story, and that's the point. Heller returns to Corsica to talk to people about the war, but no one in Corsica wants to talk about the war. The tourism business and American money is great, but who wants to remember an Italy in turmoil? His children, dragging behind him, would rather spend time on the beach. Heller's mind is yanking at every interesting detail he can find, but he never finds what he's looking for in Corsica. He never finds someone who will commiserate with him, or tell him what the war meant, and eventually he must go home.
The story operates as connective tissue in this book, linking the real life Heller to his short stories. So much of Heller's work is the desire to be part of a group, and to be understood, and the betrayal that comes when one realizes they must ultimately be responsible for themselves. It's not a satisfying story, but there are times that it feels really true.
December 19, 2024
Nothing in Catch As Catch Can really lives up to Catch-22 in either brilliance or form. But, even though the name of the story compilation would have you compare the two, there's really no need for that. These stories were written over the course of decades. Heller's voice and ideas shifted now and again, but he always seemed to be a good writer.
Even from his earliest story about a husband and wife arguing, he has a clean pace and a clear idea. There are rarely any mind-blowing twists like you might find from Roald Dahl, but each story is clearly aimed and launched, never wasting your time.
There's one story about a young boy who is asked to sleep with a rich man's wife. And that's the story. It has tension, a little mystery, some slight commentary on the upper class, but it's really just an idea that was put to page with a professional hand. Some short stories are like that. In and out.
MacAdam's Log is one we read for a Short Story Club, and it's probably the one with the most experimental interpretation. The main character gets lost in his fantasies, somewhat like Walter Mitty, but it seems Heller is doing something deeper here. The things happening in his liffe outside of his fantasies perhaps indicate that he's actually getting high on opium, or perhaps just going senile. It's not clear, and that's what I liked about it.
I probably wouldn't recommend this whole collection, but you couldn't go wrong with it. The stories never outstay their welcome, and even if the subjects of the stories aren't always that exciting, it's very clearly how capable Heller was as a writer.
Even from his earliest story about a husband and wife arguing, he has a clean pace and a clear idea. There are rarely any mind-blowing twists like you might find from Roald Dahl, but each story is clearly aimed and launched, never wasting your time.
There's one story about a young boy who is asked to sleep with a rich man's wife. And that's the story. It has tension, a little mystery, some slight commentary on the upper class, but it's really just an idea that was put to page with a professional hand. Some short stories are like that. In and out.
MacAdam's Log is one we read for a Short Story Club, and it's probably the one with the most experimental interpretation. The main character gets lost in his fantasies, somewhat like Walter Mitty, but it seems Heller is doing something deeper here. The things happening in his liffe outside of his fantasies perhaps indicate that he's actually getting high on opium, or perhaps just going senile. It's not clear, and that's what I liked about it.
I probably wouldn't recommend this whole collection, but you couldn't go wrong with it. The stories never outstay their welcome, and even if the subjects of the stories aren't always that exciting, it's very clearly how capable Heller was as a writer.
May 19, 2021
A fascinating look at hellers life, his writing, his unexpected success with Catch 22 and subsequent efforts to attain the same success with Something Happened, Good as Gold and so on. He was the first writer to open my eyes to the delights of language, and I will always worship at his feet! Some of the most interesting pieces were his reminiscing about his war service (as a bombardier!) and his subsequent trips to Europe to visit the scenes of his action.
July 20, 2017
So, I don't like short stories. And these are really short stories. Amuse bouche, without very much amuse. I loved Catch-22, and Something Happened. This is not those books. I gave up about half way through. Nothing wrong with any of the stories. Readable. Mildly pleasant. Just no There, there. Pass.
September 8, 2017
The stories were uneven in quality but did provide a lot of additional context about Heller, his vision, and the impact of Catch 22 on his life. There were a few gems and I read the collection of stories much faster than I anticipated.
February 13, 2024
Most of the stories aren't at all like Catch-22, in terms of style or content, but they are well-written and interesting and certainly stand on their own. I particularly enjoyed some of the nonfiction pieces, especially one where Heller recounts his experiences surrounding the making of the Catch-22 movie.
Worth reading, but don't go in expecting a huge dose of Catch-22.
Worth reading, but don't go in expecting a huge dose of Catch-22.
February 2, 2015
To me, writing a good short story is as difficult as writing a good novel, if not more so. I like to read collections of short stories to see what an author is capable of. Not too long ago, I read Heller's "Catch-22" which led me to look into what else he'd written. I opted to read this before the sequel to "Catch-22" and wasn't disappointed. Many of the stories contained within have a very old-timey feel to them and a few don't have a definite resolution, though their open endings are fitting. They provided me with opportunity to wonder what happened to the characters afterward, or, in a couple cases, for better or worse, smile because I knew exactly what was going to happen. Fans of "Catch-22" will be happy to see a couple short stories which are chapters removed from the original "Catch-22" manuscript.
November 29, 2008
Joseph Heller is clearly a great writer but he doesn't always write greatly. Catch-22 is an amazing book. One of my favorites. Closing Time was also wonderful. However, these characters must write themselves because the best of his short stories and novels incorporate them. There were a few really great Shorts in here that had nothing to do with Catch-22 and some history on Catch-22 that I'm glad I have. I bet you thought he named the book after an existing phrase, but actually it was originally meant to be Catch 18. He changed his mind because another book with 18 in the title was coming out the same year. Brilliant.
May 20, 2013
Catch-22 is one of my all time favourite novels and the ephemera relating to it in this collection, including two excised sections from the published novel, a play adaptation of Clevinger's trial and a few essays written in later years by Heller are really great. The two bits relating to Closing Time are good but less entertaining. The rest of it, which is mostly early published stories from the 1940s and 1950s and some unpublished stories from the same period is noticeably less good. That's really heartening for writers to see, that you can become great from very modest beginnings, but it's less entertaining for a reader.
February 15, 2016
Como suele ocurrir con este tipo de libros (recopilatorios de textos de distinto tipo y escritos en momentos muy diferentes), el volumen es un tanto irregular. Aun así, algunos de los relatos de la primera parte (los que habían sido ya publicados con anterioridad) son magníficos y también es un placer saber más de Yossarian y de algunos de sus compañeros.
También es curioso el texto en el que Heller habla de las vicisitudes de la adaptación al cine de Trampa 22 y el relato que cierra el volumen, "Coney Island: The Fun is Over".
También es curioso el texto en el que Heller habla de las vicisitudes de la adaptación al cine de Trampa 22 y el relato que cierra el volumen, "Coney Island: The Fun is Over".
August 15, 2011
Hard to read cover to cover, but perfect for an A.D.D reading phase. The cut chapters from Catch 22 are amazing. Heller offers up a story about a fan asking why a particular chapter was omitted when Catch 22 was published. He argued with them and insisted it was included, then read the published version at the time and realized the fan was correct, so he contributed the chapter as a short story in Playboy Magazine.
March 1, 2013
For Heller completests' only. The early stories aren't very good, as Heller himself admits in 'Now and Then.' At best they evoke a 1940's B-movie film-noir feel. The better stories are later on after he develops his comedic double-talk style. There are two harrowing tales of drug addiction, and some good follow-ups to Catch-22. The autobiographical writings and reminiscences about WW2, Coney Island, and Catch-22 are also very enjoyable.
May 18, 2016
"Catch as catch can. The collected stories and other writings"...what a book! I' m not a collected short-stories fan but I really loves this one... It's various, both comic and tragic, cynical and hilarious. You can find a sort of written try-outs for 'Catch 22', stories of love, misunderstanding, life, autobiographical anecdotes, different example of literature. This is a great collection and also a powerful one!
February 10, 2008
This is a collection of short stories; most have been written before catch-22 and show Heller honing his craft. They're a lot grittier than his later works and deal with addiction and character flaws without the trademark humour that made catch-22 such a great book. Still, a worthwhile read because it shows a much different side of the author.
February 20, 2010
You just can't go wrong with Joseph Heller. The stuff in the beginning? Fantastic. Near the end, not so much. After Clevinger's Trial (which had me literally laughing aloud, despite having read Catch-22 already), it just wasn't as genius. Not bad. Just not what I expect from Heller.
July 28, 2010
not great, but enjoyable. Heller's dialogue can be amazing. Two good pieces:
"You mean we weren't introduced?"
"It can be arranged if you find the present relationship offensive."
Drill Sergeant: "Don't just lie there while you're waiting for the ambulance," he advised. "Do push ups."
"You mean we weren't introduced?"
"It can be arranged if you find the present relationship offensive."
Drill Sergeant: "Don't just lie there while you're waiting for the ambulance," he advised. "Do push ups."
August 15, 2010
Heller's not necessarily a favorite author, but he's certainly a favorite writer for study. It's always interesting watching a writer's style develop, and this is a particularly fascinating case study.
July 13, 2010
Love love Catch-22... give is 4 stars for the Yossarian pieces and for the interesting and very honest behind the scenes look at Catch-22 the movie... give it 2 stars for the other short pieces that just did not catch my attention at the moment... however I wasn't really in the book for those...
March 3, 2024
I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it closer to Catch 22 but I haven't read that for more than a decade so the tangential stories were a little difficult to follow. However, I really enjoyed the ones with original characters.
May 25, 2007
its not catch-22 but the snippets that didn't make it into catch-22 are funny. good times.
March 25, 2009
Let's just say, if you are looking for Catch-22, you are going to be disappointed.
Currently reading
June 8, 2009terrific so far. heller shows as much adroitness with deep emotions and the complexities of life as he usually shows with wit and irony. and the funny is still there, sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews