At the heart of Joseph Heller's bestselling novel, first published in 1961, is a satirical indicement of military madness and stupidity, and the desire of the ordinary man to survive it. It is a tale of the dangerously sane Captain Yossarian, who spends his time in Italy plotting to survive.Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron off the coast of Italy, this is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he has never even met keep trying to kill him.