Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
またもやすんごいクラシック。なんかクラシックな本を読むノリになってきているだけだと思いますが。なんとかをたてればなんとかが、というような矛盾というか世の常というか、SFなのに哲学な本らしいです。楽しみ。
[ 洋書籍 | 日本語訳書 ]
追記（4/23）：読み終わりました。感想は下に続きます。
シニカルな、言葉遊びの連続の、まるでカフカを読んでいるような狂気の中のブラックジョークで、私は十分に楽しみました。アメリカでは（多分他の英語圏の国でも）キャッチ22というのはもはや俗語的なことわざになっていて、なにか矛盾する出来事がおこったり、こっちがあがればあっちがさがる、というようなことを言うときに、「それはCatch-22の状況だね」などと使います。その超、超、有名なシーン。
There was only one catch and that was Catch 22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.
Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask, and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions.
Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.
Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask, and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions.
Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.
これで分かるように、基本的には「戦争の狂気」に基づくブラックジョークが多いのですが、以下、他の有名なフレーズです。
”They’re trying to kill me,’ Yossarian told him calmly.
‘No one’s trying to kill you,’ Clevinger cried.
‘Then why are they shooting at me?’ Yossarian asked.
‘They’re shooting at everyone,’ Clevinger answered. ‘They’re trying to kill everyone.’
‘And what difference does that make?”
‘No one’s trying to kill you,’ Clevinger cried.
‘Then why are they shooting at me?’ Yossarian asked.
‘They’re shooting at everyone,’ Clevinger answered. ‘They’re trying to kill everyone.’
‘And what difference does that make?”
Yossarian says, “You’re talking about winning the war, and I am talking about winning the war and keeping alive.”
“Exactly,” Clevinger snapped smugly. “And which do you think is more important?”
“To whom?” Yossarian shot back. “It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference who wins the war to someone who’s dead.”
“I can’t think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give greater comfort to the enemy.”
“The enemy,” retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, “is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.”
“Exactly,” Clevinger snapped smugly. “And which do you think is more important?”
“To whom?” Yossarian shot back. “It doesn’t make a damn bit of difference who wins the war to someone who’s dead.”
“I can’t think of another attitude that could be depended upon to give greater comfort to the enemy.”
“The enemy,” retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, “is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on.”
アメリカの高校の英語の授業などで教科書に使われることも多いこの本、インターネットサーチでいろんな分析が読めると思うので、興味がある方は読んでみてくださいね。きっと何度も読むことになるんだろうなぁと思います。