His last original work was his memoir Hitch-22. It is a literary tour de force written by a man who knows that he is approaching death and was a US bestseller, where it joined his earlier controversial work making the case against religion – God Is Not Great.
Loved by his supporters and loathed by his enemies, throughout his life Hitchens was a colourful figure, a man of enormous intellect and talent. He was an unapologetic bon vivant, revelling in a prodigious indulgence of cigarettes and alcohol, a lifestyle that hastened his early death.
Politically, he never forgave the left for as he saw it abandoning the cause post-9/11. But despite the enormous energy he devoted to arguing the case for supporting US and western military intervention in the Middle East and beyond, he remained an isolated and embittered voice in this regard.
In his own words:
“My own opinion is enough for me, and I claim the right to have it defended against any consensus, any majority, anywhere, any place, any time. And anyone who disagrees with this can pick a number, get in line and kiss my ass.”
Read the whole article on Socialist Unity.
He sometimes infuriated me, sometimes I completely agreed. He was a huge intellect and in a fight, you’d want him on your side.
“You may think you can give up politics, but you can’t. Politics will come and find you.” – Christopher Hitchens