Christopher Hitchens 1949-2011
Hitchens in his natural habitat
I admit with some regret that I had never heard of Christopher Hitchens until he wrote his great book god is not Great. I have always felt, since he thought it important enough to put it on the cover of the book, that the small ‘g’ is an essential part of the title, though others have thrown this consideration to the wind and have insisted on giving the word ‘god’ a capital, as though it actually were a name. Hitchens knew better. It is not a name for anything, and it was that first, quiet joke that remains with me, my first impression of the man, who dared to write the word ‘god’ with a small ‘g’, not only pronouns which claim to be referring expressions to this non-existent being about which so much is written, and towards which so much love is pointlessly directed.
Of course, I have since read much else that Hitch wrote, including his memoir, Hitch-22, and many of his essays, in Love, Poverty and War, Unacknowledged Legislation, and some, as well, in his last collection, entitled, simply, and appropriately, Arguably. But now the tongue is still, the computer silent, the man, but not his words are gone. We will miss him, because he gave an edge to the movement of unbelief. And now that this voice of protest is silent, it is up to us to carry on the struggle against faith and foolish empty beliefs, against corruption and inhumanity in high or low places, and for the community of humans and their well-being for which he cared so much, and about which he spoke with such eloquence.
There is no need to wish him peace at the last. There is neither peace nor disquiet where he has gone, and where we all will one day follow. It is enough that he made an important contribution to our lives while he was with us.
Such a sad sad loss. What a great man! We just have to work harder now.
We have lost a great debater, but at least his works will live on.
Now I have to add another regret (one of many) to my life; I never did get to see Hitchens in person. As clod said, we will have to work harder to fill the huge intellectual gap left by him.
Ah, yes, Haggis, but so much more than a great debater. There are very few journalists of Hitch’s type, with such a wide-ranging, literate mind, such a distinctive English style, such fearlessness in staking out his intellectual positions, even when others, sometimes almost everyone, thought him wrong, and so very unflinching in his condemnations and affirmations. That is what resonates with me. So many people have read his god is not Great and have pointed out its limitations — as of course we would expect — but no one has gone so deeply into the religions that he criticises so relentlessly and yet expresses such respect for religion itself — or at least for its cultural products, which we should honour. It is not atheists, he points out, who destroyed so many mosques in Iraq. When he enters a mosque, he respectfully takes off his shoes. Muslims bomb them. Absolutely untiring in his criticism, Hitchens still retained a human warmth that so many writers simply lack, and this is reflected best, perhaps, in his sensitive and nuanced appreciation of literature — the novel, poetry, drama, and the essay, of which last he was himself a master. Much, though by no means all, that he wrote will endure, and he will be remembered, I think, much as he remembers George Orwell. Soon it will be time for someone to write the book, Why Hitchens Matters. It was an incredible gift to have all that wrapped up in one man.
Juan, yes, my regret too. And the intellectual gap will never be filled. Each intellect is so different, and Hitch’s was different than most.
Eric, you have said everything that I lack the eloquence to say myself – thank you.
As I have said elsewhere, no Johnnie Walker Black Label in the house, only Glenlivet 12yo I’m afraid, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have turned it down – so here’s to his memory. My deepest sympathy to his family and closest. Mrs Brains uses the same phrase as he did when explaining her stage 4 cancer – “there is no stage 5″.
PS – Fuck cancer!
God bless him, rest in peace Christopher. “Herewith. Hope it serves, As always, Christopher.” He will be deeply missed by his friends, for his wit and cynicism, his company, his intellect – who he was. He was a journalist, a “bad boy” and a polemicist as well as a humble, fine Oxonian philosopher. He was an astute social and political observer. Christopher was a bit of a misfit in that group of four. For me anyway, he didn’t belong there. The day I never wanted to come, came. The memory of Christopher is immortal.
I never met Hitchens, but I met him in his works and in his videos and now I have a hole in my heart.
Hitchens and I disagreed over a number of things–his support for the wanton invasion and destruction of Iraq, for one–but there was never a time when I didn’t respect him. Many, such as Haggis, will be lifting a glass of their favorite single-malt in celebration of Hitch’s life this week, and that’s appropriate. That option isn’t open to me, so I’ll celebrate him by rereading some of what I consider his best words.
About the small g” god.
I noticed in the Saturday edition of the Toronto Star a line about him ‘insisting that the odds were slim that he would admit the existence of God.”
That capital G makes him sound perversely argumentative and in denial of some generally recognized reality. That would sound a lot different with a lowercase “g” and the insertion of the indefinite article “a” in front of god. Using a capital g is giving away half the game, isn’t it? I always try to say “god or gods” or specify the “christian god” when talking or writing, to make it clear that I don’ accept the proper name “God” as having any actual referent.