Catch-22 is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. It is his debut novel. He began writing it in 1953, and the book was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the 20th century, it uses a distinctive non-chronological third-person omniscient narration, describing events from the points of view of different characters. The separate storylines are out of sequence so the timeline develops along with the plot. The novel satirizes military bureaucracy and greed.