内容简介
Afterfifteenyearsoflivinglikeavagabondonherreporter'sschedule,JuliaReedgotmarriedandboughtahouseinthehistoricGardenDistrict.Fourweeksaftershemovedin,HurricaneKatrinastruck.TheHouseonFirstStreetisthechronicleofReed'sremarkableandoftenhilarioushomecoming,aswellasathoroughlyoriginaltributetoourcountry'smostoriginalcity.
作者简介
JosephHellerJosephHeller’sdebutnovelCatch-22willalwaysberememberedasabrilliantlyscathingindictmentofwarandoneofthegreatabsurdistcomediesof20thcenturyAmericanliterature.However,italsocreatedapainfulcatch-22foritsauthorattheexpenseofhissubsequentworks,whichhewouldeventuallyexploreinhisfinalnovelPortraitofanArtistasanOldMan.BiographySometimeslifetrapsyouinanunfortunatesituationthatisimpossibletoescapefrombecauseofasetofinherentlyabsurdrules.TakeJosephHeller,forexample.Theveryfirstnovelhepublishedwasamongthemostbiting,powerful,hilariousexamplesofcontemporaryliterature,agenuineclassicof1960santi-warliterature.Yet,Hellerwasforevertrappedbythatnovel,unabletoachievesimilarsuccesswithhissubsequentworksnomatterhowfinetheymayhavebeen.BoththatpainfulpredicamentandthatauspiciousdebutnovelareknownasCatch-22,andonehopesthatanabsurdistsuchasJosephHellerhadtoatleastappreciatethatironyalittle.Catch-22(1961)wassomewhatbasedonHeller'sownexperiencesasaB-25bombadierintheTwelfthAirForceduringWorldWarII.ItisthestoryofJohnYossarian,amalingeringbombardierstationedinItalyduringthewar.Helivesinconstantterrorofbeingkilled,soheflieseachofhismissionswiththesolegoalofreturningalive.Unfortunately,ColonelCathcartkeepsincreasingthenumberofmissionshemustundertakeinordertocompletehisservice.Yossarian'sonlywayoutistoprovethatheisinsane.Ofcourse,theonlywayhecandothatistowillinglytakethemostdangerousmissionstheairforcehastooffer.Yossarian'sridiculous,unwinnablesituationistheCatch-22fromwhichthenovelgetsitsname.HellerusesYossarian'ssituationasameanstosatirizeandcriticizethemilitaryanddehumanizingbureaucraciesingeneral.Thenovelfollowsadisorientinglogicofitsown,owingmoretoLewisCarroll'sWonderlandthananywar-themednovelbeforeit.Consequently,Heller'suniqueapproachtohissubjecthadadeepinfluenceonwriterssuchasKurtVonnegut(SlaughterhouseFive)andTomRobbins(VillaIncognito).In1970,Catch-22wasadaptedintoastar-studdedfeaturefilmbydirectorMikeNichols(Who'sAfraidofVirginiaWoolf?;TheGraduate).Althoughmanyviewedthefilmasadisappointment,ithaditsfairshareofhighlyinspiredsequences,andinallfairness,thewhimsicalstructureofthenoveldoesnoteasilylenditselftothecinematicmedium.Withagenuineclassiconhishands,Hellerthentookhistimeproducinghissecondnovel.SomethingHappeneddidnotappearuntil1974,butitcontinuedmanyofthethemespresentinCatch-22.Thistimearoundhedirectedhispoisonpenatthedehumanizingeffectsofthebig-businessworld.Heller'stangyblendofpessimismandhumanismwouldbethedrivingforcebehindthemajorityofhisworkthatfollowed,includingGoodasGold,ClosingTime(asequeltoCatch-22),andtheplayWeBombedNewHaven.However,noneofhissubsequenteffortscameclosetomatchingthesuccessorinfluenceofCatch-22,afactthatirkedHelleruntilhisdeath.Hisfinalnovel,theposthumouslypublishedPortraitofanArtistasanOldMan,exploredthisverythemeaswriterEugenePotastrugglestodecideuponasubjectforhisfinalnovel.Despitehisownmisgivingsabouthiscareer,JosephHellerwillforeverberememberedasagiantinAmericanliterature,evenifitisonlyduetohisfirstnovel...andthat'sthekindofCatch-22inwhichmostwriterswouldkilltobetrapped.GoodToKnowHelleroftensupplementedhisincomebytakingscreenwritingjobs.HeworkedonscreenplaysforthefilmsSexandtheSingleGirlandCasinoRoyale,andevenworkedonthetelevisionshowMcHale'sNavyunderthepseudonym"MaxOrange."Heller'sgreatabhorrenceofwartranscendedhisnovelsandplays.Duringthe‘60s,hewasveryinvolvedinthemovementagainstthewarinVietnam.AlthoughCatch-22isregardedasanAmericanclassic,itdidnottrulynabpublicattentionuntilreceivingglowingnoticesinGreatBritainayearafteritsU.S.debut.AlsoKnownAs:MaxOrangeDateofBirth:五月1,1923PlaceofBirth:Brooklyn,NewYorkDateofDeath:十二月12,1999PlaceofDeath:EastHampton,NewYork
