Hitch 22: A Memoir Paperback – 1 Apr 2011

Whilst certainly not a leftie or socialist of any kind myself, I've always had profound respect for Christopher Hitchen's intelligence, charisma, prose and arguments. This book is a wonderfully fascinating and compelling compendium of stories, opinions and thoughts of one of the most important intellectuals of modern times. I never cease to be amazed by the courage Christopher showed in his life; willing to argue any matter he believed in, or against. Never afraid to go against the grain, but never a sensationalist or attention-seeker or pop celebrity. He is (or should be) an example of intellectual honesty to all those on the left who follow the cookie-cutter obligatory mantras of that side.

The old question of who you would invite to a dinner party, living or dead, if you could only choose three -- well, Chris, sorry, Christopher Hitchens would be the first on my list. This book clearly demonstrates a very active and deep mind. I can say this as a fan who most definitely did not agree with many of his convictions (Marxism for example) -- but he still meant very much to me.

I could listen to him talk for hours and always feel like I could learn something. That is the feeling I also received from this book. Not just an educated and very well informed and well-read individual, I always found him interesting as a person, so the story of his life, his formative years, how he gained and lost convictions, and his thoughts on Iraq, alcohol, death and love - was something I couldn't resist not knowing more of. This is a man who knows how to write, and I found myself inspired, smiling and weeping at various points of these memoirs.

Hitchens was, I think, the finest essayist of the age and a great polemicist, thus I was eagerly awaiting this book. I enjoyed it too. Born in naval Portsmouth, birthplace of Dickens, then to public school (in Britain it means Private), he had different relationships with his parents which each occupy a chapter, his father revealingly called 'The Commander'. His Mother to whom he was close was unhappy, then left to a tragic death; a psychobiographer will no doubt delight in this. 'Naturally' for public schools are intimately acquainted with Oxbridge and Hitchens was in any case bright, he then went to Oxford, rooming with James Fenton and fleetingly meeting one Bill Clinton on a Rhodes scholarship. His life there was full of activity and japes and he was once memorably tagged as "an SWP Baliol boot-boy." Good on Oxford in the 1960's, it is a world now gone, one tutor the great philosopher Gilbert Ryle evidently saw it as infra dig to take sides on the great issues of the day, earning The Hitch's lasting contempt. Then journalism with the TLS and the New Statesman ('The Staggers' to we Private Eye types) where he encountered lifelong friends Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan and especially Martin Amis - he said time with Hitch was "ever May" - and theirs was seen as a sort of love match. McEwan has said that moving to the USA in the late 1970s was the making of him as a writer and he is probably correct. There are accounts of his metamorphosis there, culminating in his supporting the 2nd Gulf war and breaking friendships with Chomsky and even Edward Said, with whom he'd written a book on Palestine. Then there's the moment that made me uncomfortable, his becoming a U.S. citizen (I know,childish of this Briton but I felt betrayed by it) and his finding new friends among the NeoCons, such as Paul Wolfowitz. It's an amazing tale with two wives, cherished children and who suspected the dying fall of the end would so soon be followed by his own succumbing too young to oesophageal cancer. It's a fascinating life and a compelling read, even if there's not quite the richness or zip of Amis's own 'Experience' where Mart's novelist's gift for expressing his inner life makes for a more profound and rewarding read; his own reading was prodigious and his learning was both wide and deep. One can see why Hitchens never tried to write a novel or indeed any creative writing, but he was a superlative journalist even if this book does not quite match his peerless essay collections, 'For the Sake of Argument' and 'Prepared for the Worst.' He was always better looking out than looking in but I know him better if not, quite, his soul. It is said you can measure someone by the quality of his friends and plainly he was a quite amazing character, - I met him briefly and he was kindness and charm themselves - an impression confirmed on Charlie Rose when he hosted a discussion with McEwan, Fenton and Amis immediately Hitchens died: all testified he was an gigantic personality, a huge talent and a friend they cherished. Quite a testament.

I'm not even half way through the book yet and already I have given it 5 stars.

To say that this man was anything short of a modern day literary genius would be criminal.

The descriptive reflections of his mother are almost poetic in some parts. His ability to recall events and facts even in debate was impressive but when he takes time to put pen to paper it's something else entirely.

At this price, this book is a steal.

Wow, what an incredible eye-opening read. I have never had a high opinion of journalists (or even a low one), but I get the impression that Christopher Hitchens was a pretty amazing person. Actually, a genius. Not just in terms of his obvious academic ability (which is clearly way above average), but also in his attempts to try and change the world for the better, even on a small scale. He moved in circles that seem almost unbelievable to the me, despite his modest upbringing and coming from such an "ordinary" family, but had such a rise to an obviously influential person, without it seeming to go to his head. It was really interesting to read about his upbringing, his influences, and his ideals. If the influence of him and his friends was only a fraction of what he things they were, it is still something to be admired.

I certainly don't agree with all of his opinions (I would consider myself more Tory than Socialist, but then I was born in the 70's, so grew up long after his beloved 60's) but that did not detract from my enjoying and fascination in any way.

Two things though, I will definitely need to read it again next year, and thank god I read it on a kindle app with a built-in dictionary.

His is a loss to those lucky enough to know him, and to humanity in general.

I had read only 'God is Not Great' and 'Mortality' by the author prior to this (both recommended), so I wasn't aware of the detail of his life and career. I nevertheless largely enjoyed this book. His narration of his childhood and parents moved me, as did his understated courage. I found his friendships with Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie detailed here were interesting, his falling out with Edward Said less so. The writing style is good and and it wasn't difficult to read.