Martin Amis hails the peerless intelligence and rhetorical ingenuity of his exceptional friend, Christopher Hitchens.
"..Christopher is one of the most terrifying rhetoricians that the world has yet seen. Lenin used to boast that his objective, in debate, was not rebuttal and then refutation: it was the "destruction" of his interlocutor. This isn't Christopher's policy – but it is his practice."
Full Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/apr/24/amis-hitchens-world
9 comments:
Christopher Hitchens is a creatively crafted rhetorical genius as if by default. - Angela M Derzaph
You would then need to argue that he fails in one of "his particular talents": he has been debating and public speaking for as long, if not longer, that he has writing. Hitch loves the dialectic, which is most effectively played out through oral debate. Obviously you're entitled to your opinions, but I believe somewhat ill-informed regarding Hitch's reasons for engaging in debate.
What a beautiful love letter. What a wonderful friend.
What an admirable friendship
I don't agree that Hitchens speaks well. I've admired his taking part in debates because that isn't his particular talent and he's really a writer - that is, I thought of him debating as a dedication to getting his message out, even though he isn't all that good at it - sacrificing the joy of using his talents so that he can promote a larger purpose. It wasn't until I read his writing that I started to appreciate him. The debates are awfully limited and boring and Hitchens doesn't say anything novel in them.
The article in the Guardian is the Foreward to The Quotable Hitchens: From Alcohol to Zionism
This was so beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous tribute.
That last paragraph was hard to get through. Very affecting/
Alas, the article has been removed by the Guardian for copyright reasons, or something. Is there any chance that it could be reprinted elsewhere?
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