Christopher Hitchens’ long-awaited memoir Hitch-22 is out in June. His brother, Peter, has a memoir of his own set for release tomorrow called The Rage Against God.
Imagine being called upon by some publisher with the task of writing the story of the Hitchens brothers – utter doom. What writer could put into words the lives of the two better than the brothers themselves, as witnessed in this incredibly moving excerpt from Hitch-22 from The Times Online (the Web site is publishing several excerpts from the book) and this equal excerpt from The Rage Against God which chronicle’s Peter’s trail toward Christ. Some of the most moving, emotionally-touching prose you will ever find.
Thanks for that link John FN…. I hope Hitch finds peace… tools like that should be used on the side of right.
I’ll always have hope for Hitch. Just from paragraphs like this.
That was one of two passages I was especially struck by as well, especially since I’d thought that the elder Hitchens brother *did* have socialist sympathies over most of his life.
The other passage was from Peter’s book, and it was about Christopher:
“It is striking that in his dismissal of a need for absolute theistic morality, Christopher says in his book that ‘the order to “love thy neighbour as thyself” is too extreme and too strenuous to be obeyed’. Humans, he says, are not so constituted as to care for others as much as themselves.”
Although I usually don’t agree with him, I’ve always admired the hell out of Christopher Hitchens, partly due to the sort of intellectual honesty I find in people like him and Camille Paglia, to name another (mostly) leftie I find worthwhile to read.
I’ve always felt that if I wanted somebody on my side in an argument, I’d be hard-pressed to find somebody better than Hitchens (and on the other side of the coin, he’s last guy I’d want to take on in a debate).
But for the life of me, I just could not understand his antipathy to Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Not just that he despised her, but that he found her a charlatan. It had always seemed to me that he could have dismissed her as a misguided fool, rather than trying to make a case that she was a phony.
But brother Peter’s quote makes it all clear – even if a fool – a fool for Christ – if she was sincere, Chrisotpher’s bedrock foundation for rejecting Christianity is smashed to bits.
For any person who believes in prayer, and additionally believes in the possibility of intervention by the Church Triumphant, and with an interest in Christopher Hitchins finding his way to God, a prayer through Mother Theresa would be hard to beat – not only would there be the rich (if glorious) irony in the whole thing if it did lead to success, but no matter what, you’d at least have the satisfaction of knowing that you really would have pissed off Hitch.
(and thanks, JFN – those were wonderful reads)
Christopher Hitchens did hold socialist sympathies, in fact he openly paraded as a member of the Labour party, which was a member of the international socialists. He cast those aside, and considers himself a Marxist rather than a socialist, kind of in the form of Orwell, his biggest influence. If you followed Hitchens career, his literary idol has always been Orwell and Orwell is the basis for much of his contrarian hijinks. His citing of Marxism isn’t as abhorrent as you would think, chiding off the forms of Marxism rather than the spirit – Hitchens is always quick to mention Marx was a huge fan of the United States, unlike the junior red-heads that populate the campus of today.
The Times Online published another excerpt from Christopher today in which he discusses his bisexual schoolboy exploits. When he mentions “Christian heartlanders” and the emotion they show denouncing sex, while being found in hotel rooms doing lord knows what, I couldn’t help but think of all the emotion he puts into his denouncing of religion and thought “hmmmm.”
I agree on Hitchens and Paglia. I could care less if I agree with an author or TV pundits’ views, I just want them to have something intelligent to say. Something that makes me think. Those two rarely disappoint.
None of you probably bothered reading my recent comment on the psychology of “hits and misses,” but Hitchens’ admonishment of Faith reminds me of that phenomenon. I felt the same about George Carlin when he would give his reasons for abhorring religion. They cite atrocities committed in the “name” of religion, and tally those deaths, yet never, ever count the millions of small acts done each day in the name of religion; a nurse helping a sick child, a Priest comforting a family whose father has died, a mom cooking dinner for her family, a dad going to work even though he’s ill… Religion helps billions of us, each day, to meet the daily struggles of life and move the ball forward, progress, manage the difficulties of life and stay positive. How much laughter has religion also brought to the world? Joy? Passion? Sacrifice?
And, as we all know, most of the fools committing violent acts in the “name of religion” are not acting in any manner consistent with the Faith they attempt to hijack. I don’t think Christopher Hitchens hangs out with the same religious folk I do.
Re: Your comment of the psychology of “hits or misses” – gimme a link, and you’ll get at least one more reader!
O.K., here it is, Stosh, http://www.threedonia.com/archives/21259#comments
But I’m reluctant to share it with an edumacated man, like yourself. I threw it together very quickly and I don’t think I did a good job of communicating what I was trying to say. What else is new? If only I wouldn’t have joined the circus at the age of 8, and stayed in school, like Floyd…
Great two more books I have to get…..my nightstand is already falling apart!
There’s a nightstand joke there for the taking, but I don’t get want to get my butt kicked from some unknown Marine when I least expect it.
I just got an email from the boss Floyd he is keeping an eye on you even from an unnamed bunker.
Very funny!