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Darwin8u's Reviews > Arguably: Selected Essays
Arguably: Selected Essays
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“The people who must never have power are the humorless. To impossible certainties of rectitude they ally tedium and uniformity.�
� Christopher Hitchens, Arguably: Selected Essays
It is hard to not love Hitchens. Or hate him. God I miss him. He was one of those journalists and public intellectuals (yes, that is a tired phrase) that constantly made me feel I needed to up my game a bit. I would read a (no I will NOT use an) Hitchens article in Vanity Fair or Slate or about anywhere and realize that I hadn't read enough, thought enough, and certainly not crafted my thoughts well enough. Tail between my legs I would strive to do better. I didn't always agree with Hitchens, but reading him was like watching a master be masterly.
A lot of these essays I've read before on the internet or in some glossy magazine profile. I was always amazed at the voracity of his appetite. He consumed books. He fed on ideas. He was a humanist at the very highest level of human. I don't mean that to sound like I'm worshiping him or unglued. He had his faults. Many of them. But his biases and bigotries were informed by his love of people and ideas. Often those who thought they were on his side would find him pounding at their door asking for an explanation or exposing their hypocrisy. He would attack sacred cows (Mother Theresa ... see what I did there?), pull down idols (Bill Clinton) and defend his sacred (free speech, life, liberty) with the savagery of a wild beast. He reminded me of some weird love child of George Orwell (doesn't every English public school educated journalist want to BE George Orwell's love child?) and Graham Greene. He was Orwell in his defense of the defenseless. He was Greene in his need to get out into the mix, the mess of the word/world and figure this shit out. What does this mean? How does this work? Why is this happening? These are questions that left no one safe. Not even friends (Martin Amis). And GODS help his enemies (Insert religous dogmatist here).
Reading this selection of his later essays was like walking through a neighborhood I frequented a lot in my thirties. He was a major voice of my growing up. I would read Christopher Hitchens and Andrew Sullivan and wonder why we couldn't breed the same here in the US. I would watch him debate someone on YouTube and be amazed at how well he could do completely drunk. I miss the lush. I miss the brain. I miss Hitch.
� Christopher Hitchens, Arguably: Selected Essays
It is hard to not love Hitchens. Or hate him. God I miss him. He was one of those journalists and public intellectuals (yes, that is a tired phrase) that constantly made me feel I needed to up my game a bit. I would read a (no I will NOT use an) Hitchens article in Vanity Fair or Slate or about anywhere and realize that I hadn't read enough, thought enough, and certainly not crafted my thoughts well enough. Tail between my legs I would strive to do better. I didn't always agree with Hitchens, but reading him was like watching a master be masterly.
A lot of these essays I've read before on the internet or in some glossy magazine profile. I was always amazed at the voracity of his appetite. He consumed books. He fed on ideas. He was a humanist at the very highest level of human. I don't mean that to sound like I'm worshiping him or unglued. He had his faults. Many of them. But his biases and bigotries were informed by his love of people and ideas. Often those who thought they were on his side would find him pounding at their door asking for an explanation or exposing their hypocrisy. He would attack sacred cows (Mother Theresa ... see what I did there?), pull down idols (Bill Clinton) and defend his sacred (free speech, life, liberty) with the savagery of a wild beast. He reminded me of some weird love child of George Orwell (doesn't every English public school educated journalist want to BE George Orwell's love child?) and Graham Greene. He was Orwell in his defense of the defenseless. He was Greene in his need to get out into the mix, the mess of the word/world and figure this shit out. What does this mean? How does this work? Why is this happening? These are questions that left no one safe. Not even friends (Martin Amis). And GODS help his enemies (Insert religous dogmatist here).
Reading this selection of his later essays was like walking through a neighborhood I frequented a lot in my thirties. He was a major voice of my growing up. I would read Christopher Hitchens and Andrew Sullivan and wonder why we couldn't breed the same here in the US. I would watch him debate someone on YouTube and be amazed at how well he could do completely drunk. I miss the lush. I miss the brain. I miss Hitch.
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Arguably.
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Reading Progress
July 5, 2015
–
Started Reading
July 5, 2015
– Shelved
July 9, 2015
– Shelved as:
2015
July 9, 2015
– Shelved as:
aere-perennius
July 9, 2015
–
Finished Reading
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Glenn
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Jul 10, 2015 05:46AM
I would watch him debate someone on YouTube and be amazed at how well he could do completely drunk. I miss the lush. I miss the brain. I miss Hitch. -- Me too. I loved the way he could cut up the Fox stooges.
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"I would read a (no I will NOT use an) Hitchens article in Vanity Fair or Slate or about anywhere and realize that I hadn't read enough, thought enough, and certainly not crafted my thoughts well enough. Tail between my legs I would strive to do better."If he makes you feel that way, imagine the sense of inadequacy most of the rest of us would experience. This one is making my shelf sag waiting to be picked up. You make it seem like a priority that I do.
Yup. For sure. He was witty and seemed to speak with a drunk lyricism.
Dude! Check out Hitch's book, Morality. So, so brilliant.
Jeffery, while i believe in sime kind of creator, a god, i cant stand listening to any religion. That leaves out going to any church, temple, mosque, etc
I read it too, but i dont remember it.
I went through hinduism and buddhism as well.
Listening to this collection now. Listening alone isn't adequate though, so am purchasing the book as well. I remember reading him in Vanity Fair when I was a subscriber and being amazed at the fact he could make me read on subjects that normally left me completely bored and make me feel not only interested, but actually involved in some way. How I wish he were still around to comment on the current clustef*ck that is the current administration. I miss his point of view. I miss his willingness to be unpopular and to speak his brilliant truth.
Ilana wrote: "Listening to this collection now. Listening alone isn't adequate though, so am purchasing the book as well. I remember reading him in Vanity Fair when I was a subscriber and being amazed at the fac..."I didn't always agree, but I always THOUGHT.
