vonnegut, joseph heller also engaged in that absurd genre of literature. essay the myth of sisyphus inaugurated that postwar wave of absurdist literature. i argue it has to do with the absurdity, the threat of nuclear war. the story of sisyphus. he had to lift this rock up a hill only to be told by the dogs and fell back down so he would be forever condemned to do the same task over and over without accomplishing it. for many of these intellectuals of the mid 20th century, the age of nuclear weapons presented such an absurd loop. terms, thel superpowers had to advocate for peace because the use of atomic weapons would destroy their enemy and their own population as well. toy had to constantly signal the adversary they were willing to wage war, even nuclear war. they could not give up nuclear weapons. they could not use them either. foundation of deterrent is fundamentally absurd. it was a catch 22. doomed if you do, or if you don't. term catch 22 exist yet. it came in the 1960's from joseph heller's novel. people immediately recognized this was something t