Joseph Heller

Joseph Heller was born in Brooklyn, New York, on May 1, 1923.
* He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, flying 60 combat missions as a bombardier.
* After the war, he worked as a copywriter and advertising writer.
* His first novel, Catch-22, was published in 1961 and became a bestseller.
* Catch-22 is a satirical novel about the absurdity of war.
* Heller wrote several other novels, including Something Happened (1974) and Closing Time (1994).
* He died on December 12, 1999, at the age of 76.
* Heller is considered one of the most important American writers of the 20th century.