On Hitchens
Two days ago Christopher Hitchens died. He had fought with stage IV esophageal cancer (he liked to point out there is no stage V) so it wasn’t a surprise but it was no less sad to hear of his death. It is actually rare for me to feel genuinely sad at the death of someone I didn’t know. I will agree that their death was a loss in that it is a sad thing in a generic sense but I don’t tend to find much emotion. In Christopher’s case, however, I really did feel upset. I really am sad that he is gone.
The first time I heard about his work was in relation to religion. His book was possibly the most confrontational of the recent anti-theist books: God is not great. Compared to Dawkins I didn’t find it easy to read. The way that Hitchens wrote was the way he spoke; he was more erudite and eloquent than I could ever aspire to and I needed to put more thoughtful effort into reading to best understand him. I think I am probably a better writer, reader, and thinker as a result of his work.
As part of the promotion for his book Hitchens took on a number of debates with public figures promoting religion, or specifically Christianity. The arguments he made in these debates were generally the same as those in his book but the way that he delivered them was often quite enthralling. I have never tired of hearing Hitchens speak and hearing him speak has made his writing come alive for me since I can hear his voice and style of delivery in each paragraph I read.
Appreciating his writing led me to his other works. He was a prolific writer. As contributing editor of Vanity Fair he wrote about politics, culture, hollywood, history and anything else he felt the need to opine on. He also wrote essays, many of which are now collected into several volumes. His articles and essays have helped me question a lot of things I might otherwise never have considered and I would encourage anyone to give him some of their time. Although he became particularly well known for his religious opinions this is really only the natural result of his desire to address hypocrisy. He wrote far more widely on other topics both current and historical.
I hope, since you have read this far, you don’t mind if I make a few reading suggestions.
I strongly recommend you read this article on torture which addresses the question of whether waterboarding can really be considered torture. It is one thing to consider the intellectual arguments, as many commentators did at the time, but you can’t help but respect a man who seeks out the experience for himself, so that he might be sufficiently informed to render an opinion, and then freely admits his shame at how quickly he capitulated.
I would also suggest seeking out his book, The Missionary Position which is a comment on Mother Teresa and which serves, whether or not you agree with his assessment, as a brilliant reminder that the world looks very different once you start to examine what you think you know.
My third, and, in fear of producing a never ending list, final, suggestion to you is his article in Vanity Fair, When the King Saved Saved God which explains the impact of the Bible on our language.
In re-reading some of his work a lot of things stand out to me. A lot of the arguments are familiar, although no less powerful as a result of that familiarity, and a lot is still new to me, but there is one thing in particular, one simple quote, that I really like:
We already know the cure to poverty…it’s quite simply, the empowerment of women.
Hitchens opposed all ethical wrongdoing in the world, whomever it was done to or by, and he experienced more of the world and those ethical problems that most of us ever will. He wasn’t an example in all ways but in the ways that matter I think we can all take something from him.
There is little more I can say about Christopher Hitchens that isn’t already being said in publications around the world by people with more wit, eloquence, intelligence and personal knowledge than me. My aim with this post is simply to add one more voice to the collective expression of loss. In a recent article about losing his voice he wrote:
The most satisfying compliment a reader can pay is to tell me that he or she feels personally addressed.
Perhaps the most fitting goodbye is to confirm that he succeeded and that his voice will continue to be heard.
