This book truly left me in a state of confusion.

I had high expectations based on what the jacket promised, envisioning a captivating story that would trace the life of a sentient painting from its creation all the way to its current state of hanging in an art gallery.

However, to my disappointment, the jacket description was inaccurate. Instead, the story was divided into three distinct parts. The first part delved into the world of Athens, Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates. The second part focused on the Dutch and Rembrandt. And the third part centered around Modern Day America.

Surprisingly, it is a history book that does not follow a linear timeline. Each chapter can incorporate elements from any of the three main stories or even include smaller asides to other tales.

The main themes that seem to unify these disparate parts are Money and human shortsightedness and stupidity. We see examples of fighting wars to boost the economy, making money through lending with interest, and paying exorbitant amounts to possess the "best" of something.

Even though this book was written in 1988 and spends a significant portion of its time in ancient Athens, it is astonishing to note that the same issues and behaviors that are described in the book still persist today, just as they have throughout history.

Overall, this book was well-written. However, I don't believe that the author's writing style is particularly suited for a historical novel. At certain moments in the book, I was inclined to rate it 5 stars, while at other times, I felt it deserved only 1 star. In the end, I guess I will settle on a rating of 3, although my mind is simultaneously pulling me in both directions, making me want to rate it higher and lower at the same time.

“The Game of Imagination” is an intelligent cocktail of epochs, personalities, and events. Heller mixes them chaotically (even in the very minds), drawing parallels between the past and the present. As a direct witness, he takes us back to Holland in the time of Rembrandt (the 17th century) and to ancient Greece with Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Golden Age of Pericles.

Rembrandt paints Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer. We follow the path of the portrait from the first to the last strokes (along with the life and the creation of part of the artist's other paintings), its transfer to the client in Italy, and its long journey through private collections until it reaches the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is currently located. Throughout this time, Aristotle reasons - about philosophy, creativity, life, and the state, about Rembrandt and his contemporaries, about his own and our contemporaries.

Heller's attitude towards war and politics, and the sharing and commenting on historical facts are in the style of "Paragraph 22". At some moments, he delves too deeply into the details of philosophical teachings and debates - at the beginning, until the reader gets in tune with him, the book seems a bit tiring and dry.

"But in fact, the assumption that human life has value has never been confirmed by specific events in history related to the fate of people.
All our religions - except the Jewish and the Greek - think of us more as dead than as alive.

Democracy and free initiative go hand in hand and are enemies. They go hand in hand and are mortal enemies because the only freedom that business is interested in is the freedom to do business. The striving for justice does not count.

And on both sides (Russia and the US), as everywhere, there were quite a few unrestrained governments.
Their first men clearly did not feel such hatred for each other as they had for their own people who differed from them. They hated - as in the case of ancient Athens - also smaller nations that tried to avoid their patronage.
The governments on both sides were doomed without their mutual threat.
It is impossible to imagine the existence of either of the two nations without the terrifying threat of destruction sent to it by the other.
That's why it's easy to predict the chaos that would occur in both in case of a sudden peace.
Peace on Earth would mean the end of civilization as we know it.

To know that you don't know means a lot.
Wisdom consists in knowing that it does not exist.

After the discovery of money in the seventh century BC, people - like Rembrandt - got the freedom to take loans and get into debt."
\\n

And a few minor remarks:

* The explanations and notes, a huge number, are not underlined but are divided by chapters at the end of the book. The continuous interruption is rather annoying. Part of them contain very interesting and necessary information, but the rest are simply superfluous. For the average reader, it would be much more useful to understand something about the constantly repeating strange names of battles and treatises like mastiche and mushabel - it is logically assumed that the book will fall into the hands not only of professional artists.

* Not a single year is mentioned when he writes that something happened in it (a common omission, not only here).

* In its graphic-color design, the upper third of the cover is like a terrible, kitschy spot.

[image error]

Now, I'm no longer naive.

After reading Joseph Heller for seven years - as I did at that time - I understand that any factual assertion he makes should be taken with a whole packet of salt.

However, the history, philosophy, and art analysis in this book make it especially readable.

The bizarre angle is fascinating, and Heller's cynical yet humane sense of humor takes it a long way (as it often does).

And, damn it, I really do feel like I've learned something.

His writing style is unique, filled with irony and satire that forces the reader to think deeply.

The characters he creates are vivid and complex, making the story come alive.

Despite the need to approach his factual claims with caution, the overall value of his work cannot be denied.

It offers a fresh perspective on various aspects of life and society, and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

I'm glad I've spent so much time reading his books and look forward to exploring more of his works in the future.

After reading Catch 22, I was truly astonished by what I found within its pages. I had not anticipated a book like this from Joseph Heller. To me, this work is not merely a fictional creation but rather an ambitious attempt to interweave several aspects of history into a single narrative.

The connections within the book are twofold. Firstly, there is a more tangible connection. We have the story of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, who knew one another, along with Rembrandt, who painted Aristotle. Their respective countries at that time and Rembrandt's paintings all contribute to this physical connection.

Secondly, there is a connection in the realm of ideas. The historical fate of the countries and the comparison of the ideas of political systems in reality and the imaginary systems in the minds of philosophers add depth to the narrative. The book is filled with details and, considering my limited knowledge of Dutch history, Socrates, and Plato, it feels very close to the real state of affairs.

I had the impression that some of the texts from Socrates were directly taken from Plato's "Dialogs." Apart from the interesting historical details, it was fascinating to read about the thoughts of Greek philosophers on democracy and the theoretical ideal state. In the end, all of these systems seem to devolve into dictatorship, with the only difference being how the dictator wields power - whether through absolute authority or influence over the parliament.

The book covers such a wide range of topics that it is truly challenging to write a review that encompasses them all. However, I must admit that the section on Rembrandt, particularly regarding his paintings and loans, was rather dull.