Brindle Media

Christopher Hitchens could certainly be dismissive, judgmental, and annoyingly sanctimonious, as he showed in his condemnations of Henry Kissinger and Mother Theresa. But he’s also been described as fun-loving and generous by those he allowed to be his friends.

When I saw him speak at Union College in the early 2000’s, the audience’s reaction to his pro-Iraq war position was overwhelmingly negative but his responses weren’t caustic, nasty, or dismissive. He actually seemed to enjoy the conversation.

My sense is that Christopher Hitchens was an intellectual who enjoyed provoking our thoughts by stirring the pot and enjoyed his role as the Baby Boom generation’s designated curmudgeon.

I doubt that he’d want to rest in peace.

PS- On the audio book, the final track is his wife’s recollections of the man. It’s worth the listen.