Posted by
Michael on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 2:38:25 AM
I finally read the
New Yorker piece on Christopher Hitchens, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I've read his Slate column regularly for several years, and I own collections of his work and several other books that have him included (usually writing the introduction).
What never dawned on me until I read the article was that Hitch rarely, if ever, reveals anything about himself in his work. For a man who stands on a high moral plateau, condemning Henry Kissinger as a war criminal and Bill Clinton as a pathological liar, he rarely speaks of himself and what gives him the right to say what's good and what's bad. Especially when he has the cajones to take on someone like Mother Teresa, you'd expect him to tell us why he thinks he is morally superior to such a beloved woman.
The article revealed some of the tragedy in his life, including the suicide of his own mother. Given modern technology during the 1970s, Hitchens missed the calls that could have saved his mother's life. Alot can happen in one's life, but the loss of your mother is unimaginable. May explain alot of his bitterness.
There's much more to the 57-year-old contrarian than was included in the book, and Hitch would likely rather talk about the flaws of Thomas Jefferson or organized religion than look in on himself. His wife in the article concedes that he is an alchoholic, making Hitchen's
vitriol towards Mel Gibson come under the question of hypocrisy.
The article, "He Knew He Was Right," isn't available online, but it's on newstands and at your library if you feel like reading it.
*
"Forget Europeans, they're doomed."
Mark Steyn performed well, as always, on Hannity and Colmes.