Joseph Heller takes us on a fascinating journey back to his upbringing in a poor Jewish neighbourhood in Coney Island, through his World War II experiences as a bombardier in the American Air Force, to his life as an internationally acclaimed author. He tells of his tough upbringing during the Depression, and of the affection he retained for the kitsch, ragged, down market Coney Island of his youth. He describes, in intimate detail, his first love Luciana, and writes about the people and events, both tragic and hilarious, he was to translate into such memorable characters as Milo Minderbinder, The Chaplain, Major Major Major Major and the unforgettable Yossarian. In NOW AND THEN we are afforded a privileged insight into the mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest literary talents.