The Hitchens post

by Josh Bernoff

Christopher Hitchens just died.

By all accounts he was an irascible, hard-drinking pain in the ass.

In print, he took on the likes of God, Mother Theresa, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Henry Kissinger. Here was a man who had an infinite supply of courage, a razor wit, and the irresistible drive to use it.

I know Hitchens only through reading him. The argumentation is brilliant, the prose uneven but driven, and the result . . . 

The result is that now that he's gone, he has left an indelible mark, almost exclusively by writing.

Learn from that. Be not afraid, and it's better to leave to a mark.

This inspires me. I'll be 62 (as he was) in 9 short years, and I don't want to be forgotten.

 

Comments

[J. Savoy]

Mother Theresa has also left a mark. How about aspiring to that?

[Simon West]

The prose uneven? I think most would take issue with that; he was one of the most erudite and articulate writers of the last half-century. The prose frequently bolstered some fairly problematic arguments, in my view.

[Josh Bernoff]

Great comments, guys. Regarding Mother Theresa, sure she left a mark -- it's just that as a writer I'm more likely to be remembered as something like Hitchens (since I'm certainly no Mother Theresa).

As for the prose, I would say that erudite and articulate does not contradict uneven. Other writers are a much smoother, more elegant read. Hitchens is provocative, it's never easy to read his prose -- but that's the point. As a reader, you have to engage with it.

I am teaching young writers now. In general they need to learn to be more provocative and more interesting. Should they aspire to Gladwell or Hitchens? Depends on your objectives.

[Pankaj Taneja]

Apart from his writing, he was also known for his brilliant debating skills. I've been following him for years, and disagreed with him every minute. Yet, I had a sinking feeling in my pit when i learnt of his demise.

[Brass Fitting]

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[Spiral Wound Gasket]

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[metal halide lamp]

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