Joseph Heller with his first novel “Catch-22” - “Catch-22” (in a later translation by Andrei Kistyakovsky - “Amendment-22”) literally burst into American literature of the post-war years. "Catch-22" is one of the most brilliant examples of semi-absurdist, phantasmagorical work. J. Heller's caustic and, at times, rather harsh description of the army is a strange world full of bureaucratic tricks and nonsense. The bureaucratic machine paralyzes common sense and turns individuals into a faceless, stupid mass. Nobody knows what exactly the so-called “Amendment 22” is. But, contrary to all logic, army discipline requires its strict implementation. And it is very convenient to use for anything. Because, according to the same “Amendment 22,” no one is obliged to present it to anyone. Heller’s villains are not the Germans or the Japanese, but American military officials who profit from the war, and sadists who take pleasure in violence. The novel was filmed by M. Nichols in 1970. The expression “Catch-22” entered the American lexicon, denoting any difficult situation, and the name of the hero also became a common noun. In 1994, a continuation of the novel entitled “Closing Time” was published.