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I read the good soldier Svejk which, apparently, inspired this book. Catch-22 was certainly more modern in its references and it covered things from multiple viewpoints. Catch-22 was more slapstick comedy whereas in Hasek’s classic you were never sure if Svejk was a genius or an idiot with his simple minded torpidity and senseless compliancy. At the end of the good soldier I leaned towards Svejk being a genius underminer and from reading Heller’s book, he too probably thought this. It’s almost
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I had to read Heller’s masterpiece in chunks, between other books. For me CATCH-22 was a catch-22. I got lost sometimes and had to take notes, but when I finished it today I was impressed by Heller. He has created a comic tragedy in three acts. In the first act, we meet all of the characters, flaws and all. The people don’t want to be there. And here’s the catch. If they are crazy, the boys go home. If they say they are crazy and ask to go home, they are sane. The bombardier flights continue wel
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Jun 28, 2010
Kim
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Amy Curtis
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