Vanity Fair
Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after.
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/In-Memoriam-Christopher-Hitchens-19492011
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166 comments:
One of the greatest intellectuals of our time- he will live on in his vast selction of books and articles. Who knows if life continues after death- Hitch now knows the answer. I'm glad of what he did during his life.
Sorry to see him go.... others shall now, inevitably, take up the cudgel and flame on behalf of the neverending quest for enlightenment.
Hitch's erudite, combative wisdom will be much missed, regardless of those who follow.
Well this fucking sucks.
Hitch may be gone, but will never be forgotten. This is a very sad day.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
After your long battle, Christopher may you truly rest in peace. You will be greatly missed.
Dear Christopher Hitchens,
I never agreed much with you, but I was always enthralled by the ever strong arguments you presented. It is my opinion that such strong arguments are what solidify Truth.
Thank you for your quest for truth and sharing it with the world.
Blessings and Peace,
Christopher R.
Goodbye dear friend. Your wit, your intellect....they will never be matched. They will always be missed. Thank you for everything. Sleep well.
Your ideas will live forever!
Goodbye dear friend. Your wit, your intellect...will never be matched. But they will always be missed. Thank you for everything. Sleep well.
Rest in Peace. You will be greatly missed.
Miss you already, Christopher.
What Christopher Hitchens meant to me cannot really be described in words. He was such an amazing human being and I cannot believe he is really gone. Over the past few months he had even exchanged emails me with me on a couple of occasions. He was truly a hero.
Christopher Hitchens was a man of courage and honor. Hitch always spoke his mind and took the fight to religious bigotry and was unapologetic about it. In addition, he was not a cultural relativist or an Islamic apologist like is the case with many atheists. He called Islamic ideology for what it truly was: totalitarianism and oppression. In addition, he was a great friend for freedom and democracy and although he was a leftist all his life, he stood and supported the Iraqi people for their quest for freedom - particularly the great Kurdish people. And as an Iranian, he was a great friend of the Iranian people and it is a shame that he was not able to see a free Iran in his lifetime. Most importantly: he was genuine and one of the most insightful and intelligent human beings I have ever heard whom possessed great insight and a realistic foresight of world problems.
I will write more on him later but he was truly a hero of mine and I don't have any other heroes. He was someone that inspired me in ways that cannot be expressed. For the rest of my life, I will try to live with his ideals and inspiration as much as I can. To be honest, right now has become one of the gloomiest and darkest days, and my heart feels empty.
Christopher Hitchens was good for the Planet.
Love
I did not expected this today...
Whithout his brilliance and wit, the world is now a daker place, but the light of reason will live forever in his writings.
My condolences go to his family and close friends.
Hitch... we'll miss you!
dammit
RIP
Christopher Hitchens
The Good you have done in your time will live beyond the lives of your most vicious critics.
It seems appropriate to call upon his own words on the subject:
"I'm not afraid of death myself, because I'm not going to know I'm dead."
"I have often thought that when I do die it will be out of sheer boredom."
"I do not especially like the idea that one day I shall be tapped on the shoulder and informed, not that the party is over but that it is most assuredly going on - only henceforth in my absence... MUCH more horrible, though, would be the announcement that the party was continuing forever, and that I was forbidden to leave."
and finally, as I'm sure we'll be enduring endless nonsense from the Religious in the coming days:
"If I turn out to be mistaken [about the Afterlife], at the bar of judgment, I shall argue that I deserve credit for an honest conviction of unbelief and must in any case be acquitted of the charge of hypocrisy and sycophancy. If the omnipotent and omniscient one does turn out to be of the loving kind, I would expect this plea to do me more good than any trashy casuistry of the sort popularized by Blaise Pascal. One could also fall back upon the less-principled and more shiftily empirical defense offered by Bertrand Russell:
'Oh Lord, you did not give us enough evidence'."
Thank you so much, Hitch. You were a beacon in a dark time and a hero to us all.
With all due respect, why do people always say "Rest in Peace"?
He's DEAD, he's not "resting".
I think Hitchens would be rather insulted by that dull cliche.
Thank you.
I miss him already
oh what a bummer. in this world of religious bullshit, we have just lost our greatest warrior.
I am very sad. I'm glad to have experienced him. A loss to humanity. I await another so awesome to take up that torch so gallantly as he has on behalf of the freethinkers / rationalists / anti-theists of the world. I hope this website stays up as a record and homage so that we may all reap from and future generations, too.
Hitch, I am one of your fans who is spiritual, but has always questioned a lot of the beliefs I was raised with. You showed me, in the past couple of years, that it's all right to dislike and challenge such beliefs if they seem pointless to me.
I KNOW that your energy and consciousness is still out there, because I have personally encountered the energy of those who have left their bodies behind (I found out many years ago that I can feel such energy). Hence, my knowledge that there is existence after death is based on firsthand evidence, not mere faith or belief. You simply found, as all of us will, that one must at some point shuck off one's body to regain one's health.
Peace, Love and Joy to you, Christopher! I wish you only the best in your transition. Peace, Love and Courage to all your family, friends, and my fellow fans as well...<3 <3 <3
Karen Olsen
Seattle, WA
A very sad day. Hitch has left the party. It won't be the same. But at least he could leave.
Ugh. :'( I love you, Hitch.
A very sad day. Hitch has left the party. It won't be the same. But at least he could leave.
Thanks Hitch, i have learned a great deal from you.
So sad to hear the news I have been dreading so long. Last year about this time I sent him a letter about my journey away from superstition and he sent back an extremely kind note that sustained me through some very hard times. Just knowing someone I looked up to so much cared a little about my fumblings made things a lot easier as I came out to others. He will be dreadfully missed by many, and I am so glad we live in an age of video. My thoughts are with his family and friends and I hope they are comforted a little knowing what a powerful impact his life had.
He was brilliant, had integrity, and knew how to be kind - know wonder we loved him.
LT
Vale Hitch, a man of his times not afraid to use his intelligence and knowledge against the forces of ignorance and superstition.
Rest peacefully, Hitch.
Humanity lost one of her best today, a prophet for courage and clear thinking.
I am sorry to hear this news... Christopher helped open my eyes to a whole new world . A brilliant man who will be missed.
This is painful news and he first time I have cried since my brother died. I so wanted to meet him.
Goodbye, Christopher.
Gutted... Humanity lost a brilliant mind today. You'll be missed, Hitch, but you'll be with us forever through your writings.
Thank you Christopher, although the outcome is by no means certain, with your inspiration, the struggle against totalitarianism stands more of a fighting chance.
Bon Voyage friend I never met. If it's just a void and release of pain, that is good. If it's not, ask Charlton Heston if he ever figured out where Bahrain is.
I weep.
As Christopher recited for his father - – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
The width and breadth of his knowledge about the human condition was unmatched by most...he helped me to see a wholly different way of thinking. The subtle eruptions encountered by his antagonists were truly inspiring.His wit and google-like knowledge was a force to be reckoned with... I really hoped to have met him sometime to thank him for having such an influential and enriching impact on my homo-sapien existence...you will always be with us...
Condolences to the surviving members of the Hitchens family, your loss exceeds ours, and ours is damn big.
When people speak of enlightenment they usually refer to the cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe. They usually speak of it as if it was something from the past - something that´s not needed anymore - something that´s over.
Christopher Hitchens knew that wasn`t right. In my eyes Christopher was the spearhead of 20th and 21st century enlightenment movement. With eloquence and sheer inexhaustible knowledge he spoke out what others would not dare to and therefore fought for true wisdom and true humanitarianism.
I have often showed the videos of his debates to people who did not know him just so I can see their reaction. Without exeption they were all stunned by Hitchens qualities (to debate with wisdom, eloquence and kindness). A typical reaction was "I`ve never seen anyone debate like this - so classy - so wise".
Unfortunately there will always be people who, blinded by faith, will never realize what a great man Hitchens was.
I am sad to hear that Hitchens is gone. There is no substitute for someone like him.
B. Ly
Germany
The width and breadth of his knowledge of the human condition was unmatched by most...I have been possessing the knowledge of the inevitability this day would come, and I can say that this came as a shock no less... I am glad that he was able to put so much of his talent on a page, for that is where he can live with us forever..My deepest condolences to not only his closest family and friends, but also the world on large, we have lost a great champion of humanity today....
I hadn't heared of Christopher Hitchens before his debate alongside Stephen Fry, opposing Ann Whiddecombe and John Onaiyekan. I watched it because of an interest in Stephen Fry, and consequently became considerably intrigued by Hitchens. This was the first of a number of stones to follow, if you like, that knocked me from my fence sitting, quietly observant state of agnosticism, into someone happier to say he's an atheist, but also well equiped to justify that conviction. I was also at the intended Stephen Fry and Hitchens conversation in London which, as you know, became something of a tribute to Chritopher Hitchens instead, because of the pneumonia onslaught that would eventually see him to his last day. I can't help but think of those two occasions, from that 2009 introduction to Christopher Hitchens, to the 'Friends of Christopher hitchens ..' as book ends for me, in the middle of which I've crammed a wealth of new interests and certain knowledge that I never before dreamed of exploring. I really am delighted to have learned something in that time, and will remain very much intent on expanding further onwards. It's only 8.30am for me, so I raise my cup of tea to Christopher Hitchens as I place this full stop .
"My candle burns at both ends It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light."
Edna St Vincent Millay.
R.I.P. Hitch - the world has lost a phenomenal mind.
I don't think saying rest in peace is appropriate because Hitch didn't believe in that bullshit. His memory is all that survives his mortal self so he is not resting anywhere. What a memory that is however, goodby Hitch.
Hitchens made a great impact on me immediately after I started reading God Is Not Great. I was shocked to hear these news today... He was one of those few people who I wanted to meet face to face: his intelligence and bravery to speak up his own mind will always be an example to us all. I wish all the best for his family and friends.
Condolences to Mr. Hitchens family. I will miss his unique perspectives and quirky personality. So sorry I never attended one of his appearances.
It's fucked up, this. Me and my friends will be raising our whisky glasses for you tonight, you brilliant bastard!
To the family of Mr. Hitchens,
Thank you for sharing him with the public all of these years. We salute you.
Thank you for your perspective Mr. Hitchens. You taught me how to think critically and for that I owe you thanks for a lifetime! We will continue your fight for truth!
Christopher Hitchens has made a difference and will continue to make a difference. That is an assertion that needs no proof. He will be sorely missed, though.
I feel as though I've lost a good friend, a paragon of reason in a crazy world. The captivating voice, the "Swiss Army Knife mind," rapier wit, and gigantic intellect. He was the antithesis of everything tyrannical religion stands for, and I'm so grateful he was out there on the front lines. Recon!
Christopher Hitchens, for me, as for many, many others held the torch of enlightenment firmly in his grasp.That torch shone a light into the darkest corners of religion and exposed it to the evidence of science and evolution along with highlighting it's deadly doctrines that have so damaged the minds of millions and caused them,over the centuries, to commit horrendous crimes.He presented the argument that "God is not great" and he now returns to the Universe knowing he did not succumb to the fears and superstitions that plague the lives of billions, for no reason at all.
He will live on in his body of work and as humanity evolves perhaps one day the majority will awake and his writings be vindicated.I will miss his books and his debating skills.
We will remember you.
Champion of Civilization... We love you. Goodbye
My heart cries at the loss of this great man. Thank you -- for everything.
"Rest in peace" seems somewhat inappropriate. Rest in glorious combat!
What a tremendous loss for the world.
Goodbye Mr. Hitchens. Thank you.
Mike Hipp
Atlanta, Georgia
Vale Christopher Hitchens, tu sei uno dei giganti che hanno fatto due passi insieme a noi mortali, ti ringrazio per tutto che ho imparato xxxre
The rest is silence.
I never thought I would cry again over the death of someone I did not personally know. But here I am teared up and profoundly adrift when I realize I will never, ever have the chance to " read what Hitchens thinks about this or that ...." Sad, sad day. And oddly enough the Verification "word" on this comment box is
"whicryb"
A loss to planet earth :(
What a sad day for us all.
RIP Hitch, you will never be forgotten
If he had been wrong about everything, which I deeply doubt, he is now maybe hanging out with Elvis or Douglas Adams :)
RIP Hitch. You were an inspiration.
I love you Hitch, you changed my life and I will never forget.
Rest in peace you godless infidel :-)
This was too early ... I wish now you could write another book and tell us exactly what the heck is on the other side.
I was dreading this day. Christopher changed my life and the way I think. Thank you Hitch, you will be missed more than I can explain.
one of the greatest reasoners still left in our time has past away. A great loss. A man who dared to stand up against every form of extremism and fought against it.
Mr Hitchens will be missed
martin
Amsterdam, Holland
May Hitch rest in peace. I thank him for the many hours of entertainment, and for standing up for rationality in an age of superstition, and take consolation in knowing his suffering is over.
Thanks Christopher for everything you've given the world over many years. I would not be the person I am today without yours, and one or two others, words of wisdom and clarity. I was going to say sadly missed, but really you wont be missed because through your books etc you'll always be here for many of us.
Haven't had a drink in 16 yrs, but I'm very tempted to by a bottle of scotch, drink it and talk philosophy, politics and morality all night, in honor of Hitch.
So much has been said about his intellect, I'd rather focus on how he affected me personally. I saw him a safe harbor of integrity and wisdom in a sea of ideologically driven partisans. As such, he gave me a signal, a lead, an idea that I could attempt to hold a moral view of the world and make up my own mind about the affairs of the day rather than take my cues from others.
Of course, concomitant with standing on my own feet intellectually came the responsibility to learn, to be informed, to never stop seeking knowledge. I rediscovered my own interest in "the classics" and the entire classical liberal experiment that we've been undertaking for the past 500 yrs.
All due to Hitch. He showed me the way to reject ugly partisanship, dogma and its attendant hypocrisy. Of course, this required me to walk my own path, and Hitch his, but without fail, Hitch was always a beacon of moral integrity and intellectual rigor that I could take a bearing on, like a star in the night sky I could reference to guide me.
I also found his humanity, his generosity of spirit and also his willingness to castigate evil and denigrate that which deserves denigration warming and reassuring somehow. To be a thinking man, but to not retreat from the 'real world' and instead to be an actor in it, I would not know how to be that were it not for Hitch. I salute you, and will forever commemorate your life as an example to us all.
You will be truly missed Mr Hitchens. Thank you for all the wisdom you have given the world.
You will not be forgotten.
Olaf Hansson
The Netherlands
You will be truly missed Mr Hitchens. Thank you for all the wisdom you have given the world.
You will not be forgotten.
Olaf Hansson
The Netherlands
Goodbye fellow Mammal, fellow comrade, fellow Homoesapien.
As peculiar as this maybe, my heart cringed with a gash of spasm and shook when I read the news. But I figured your soul & thoughts will forever exist through your books and youtube clips.
Rest in peace fellow Comrade, you shall be GREATLY fucking missed! I say this with tears in my soul.
With a twine of agony, it sure feels bad we don't have enough courageous representation in this world. G-o-o-o-o! Free thinkers re-unite! Let's fill in Hitch's shoes and spread the truth! People deserve to know the truth instead of living through life as pacifists and brainwashed drones.
N A N.
My condolences and my most heartfelt sympathy to Mr Hitchens' family and close friends.
He will be missed and he shall be remembered.
Julien SH
France
I wonder if he killed himself.
Good bye and thank you. All I can do is mourn.
If you google "polemicist" guess who's name and picture appears. Yes, Christopher Hitchens has become the definition of a polemicist. Just one of his many achievements. Cheers,
timeislife67
Mr. Hitchens was - if you'll pardon the comparison - the Bruce Lee of debate. His command of language, his powers of instantly recalling vast quantities of data or quotes, and above all his seeming inability to shy away from a confrontation garnered my respect, though I disagreed with him on a lot of things. If his ultimate goal was not to convert to provoke thought, he has succeeded innumerable times over.
The endless conversation goes on, but Mr. Hitchen's contributions to it will be sorely missed.
Thanks for fighting for the truth.
Now you know, sir. Can you give us a hint?
The world s truly a slightlier empty place today. An inspirational, poetic man!
My heart is broken,
Much sadness hearing this news. He wrote up to the very end and people will forever benefit from his words. Peace be to his family.
Well this is shitty. Thank you Hitch for your invaluable service to our species. I will have an extra glass of Johnnie Walker Black for you today.
History has lost a powerful, beautiful voice; leaving the choir of self interest to sing louder to their shame.
Now he rests, he has his Truth. RIP Hitch.
I am a huge fan and have great respect for Christopher Hitchens and his work. I have read every book and article I could get my hands on by him, and have watched him speak whenever I got the chance.
It is strange how a person you have never met can have an enormous impact on one's life and one's outlook on the world. This is how I feel about Christopher Hitchens.
As others before me here have said, the world does feel a bit emptier with him gone. His death has affected me more that I had thought it would.
You will be missed Christopher, and though we never met I hope you would not mind me calling you a friend. Thank you.
The Death of Christopher, is such a sad loss. His wit, brilliance and conviction made him one of the few public figures that I aspired to be like. His eloquence and vast knowledge, made his debates entertaining and educational. My sympathies are with his family. His brilliance shone a light into many people's lives, including my own. RIP
Mr. Hitchens, thank you.
Dammit...
Goodbye, Hitch. Many many thanks.
Surely the best tribute we can pay to the Hitch is to go out and take his arguments to those who don't want to listen - the creatures are already crawling out from under their stones to celebrate the world having become a darker place.
Gutted today, a true intellect of our times and champion of liberty has past and left us too soon. I will miss his wit, words and wisdom. We all will.
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar, when I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep, turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
- Tennyson
I had the opportunity to study the work of Christopher Hitchens in depth over the last six months. It will be a time I forever remember.
This is very strange; last night I felt absolutely compelled to read some Hitch. I just finished a book by another author and was preparing to start a new one when I knew that I had to read a Hitchens essay. I pulled out Love, Poverty, and War, and was rewarded with a hilarious critique of a sighting of the Virgin Mary. I would be willing to bet that the exact time that thoughts of you came into my mind on the evening of Dec. 15, was the time that you had passed. No supernatural intervention is implied here, just one of those spectacular coincidences in life.
I will keep you alive in my heart and in my mind Mr. Hitchens. Every time I laugh out loud at one of your outrageous, yet painfully accurate snipes...I will remember the truth, the beauty, and the love you have brought into my life. You were a great man, a person I wished I would never have to describe in past tense.
U enlightened us all, and made the world a much better place to live in Mr Hitchens. I,m sure your legacy will live on for decades and century,s to come! I am convinced that some of your dear friends, like Mr Stephen Fry and Richard Dawkins and many others will continue to spread your message and absolute convictions on this planet and will keep on fighting against religion and superstition! I truly hope, wherever you and your soul may be in the universe... they serve you your beloved, Jack Daniels Black Label. You are still and will always be my No1 Hero Mr Hitchens. Cheer,s!!
My childish emotions want to imagine Hitchens in a discussion with Orwell, Jefferson and Paine. I can see the excitment on his face getting to ask them the questions I know he would've loved to have known. While that is a happy thought. I know it is not so. Yet in a way he joins them in his legacy and his contempt for the totalitarian.
I will miss his voice greatly. The the war against credulity, bigotry and oppression has lost it's greatest and most well equipped soldier.
Hi was my own personal Neo pulling me out of Matrix!
As an English contemporary similarly given to a Marxist outlook, I moved along a similar path to change travelled by Hitch. The one thing I lacked in changing was the power of expression you gave to your own abandonment of the far Left. You provided that for me with reasoning and eloquence, giving such a lift and so many rewards.
In feeling as abject as I do about your passing, albeit unwantedly expected, I feel even worse because I never wrote thanking you. I wish I had, because you meant so much. Sincere condolences to your family.
It's not like we didn't expect this, but it is a kick in the gut. We should all wish to do whatever work drives us to the bitter end, in the manner of Hitch.
The Johnny Black's on me tonight.
This quote sums up what he stood for.
"It was, if I can phrase it like this, a matter of everything I hated versus everything I loved. In the hate column: dictatorship, religion, stupidity, demagogy, censorship, bullying, and intimidation. In the love column: literature, irony, humor, the individual, and the defense of free expression." - CH on the fatwa against Salman Rushdie
I am shocked and numbed by this news.
Humanity has lost a brilliant and critically logical mind. I feel this loss deeply. My thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of my heroes. I hope someone will pick up the torch he carried so bravely for reason.
I will always remember Christopher until the day I die. God is not Great.
The man, the myth, the legend is gone. His words are permanently ingrained in me and will be until the day I die. God is not great, Christopher was!
A very sad day for humanity,one of the shining light's of reason has expired.He live's on through his writing and ideas,gone but not forgotten,EVER!
Good night sweet prince!
I am already missing his thoughts...about anything.
i am so saddened by this. he has inspired me so much. my heart aches. goodbye hitch i will miss you
Not sure if I learned more from 4 years of college or reading Hitch daily. Probably Hitch. So long friend. You'll be greatly missed.
I am already missing his thoughts...about anything.
Love and massive admiration.
The world has lost one of the most prolific and inspiring writers of all time. Like many others, Hitchens helped me overcome the religious indoctrination that had once tortured my heretical mind. We will miss you deeply Christopher. Your brilliance will live on forever! Condolences to the Hitchens family.
Kevin
What a great loss for thinking people everywhere. A great chasm has been created in our collective humanity by Christopher's passing. A chasm that no living individual will be able to fill in the unique way that Mr. Hitchens did. We will continue to nourish our mind's objectivity with the body of work you left behind - but we are very saddened by your loss.
So sad to lose one of the great 'giants' of our time. Condolences to the family
What if?
Now he is having a fierce discussion with God.
People say: You can not judge God
Hitch teach us: Why not??
Go Chris!! do a big Hitch in behalf of us
Just heard the news from a DJ doing the top-ten events of the year. Well, this is mine. Mr Hitchens, even when I did not agree with you, I respected you. I now have to try to find most of the books from earlier in your career and this month's Vanity Fair. You will live on in our thoughts and in the great service you gave to intellectual and political writing.
Selah...
Damn.
I feel like putting my fist through my table.
A hero of the highest order. Sadness, love, respect. Already missed.
The American Legend
Good. Hope God damns you.
Even though I no longer consider myself a atheist I wanted to come over and pay my respects to this great man. He will be remembered for speaking truth to power and showing up the evils of the self interested not only in false man made religions but to politicians as well. He should be remembered as the great social critic that he is. Even though we can not agree on God, you will be forever in my heart. Thank you for a life well lived Mr. Hitchens. You will be missed by millions. You EARNED your immortality sir, may you rest in peace. We here on earth love you. Thank you. Oh and say hello to Steve Jobs and George Carlin for me as well. Peace!
A great man and One of the true intellectual heroes of our time.
Will miss him a lot. All the best to his family.
I did not read all the comments. If this has been posted, my apologies.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/fumbling-inarticulate-obituary-writer-somehow-losi,26890/
Hitch, you were a true boss.
Christopher Hitchens was a brilliant man, who lived an extraordinary life. He had a huge impact on a lot of people. I am so appreciative of his constant fight to challenge the rest of us. I am so so sorry he won't be among us anymore to share his powerful points of view. I will miss him tremendously but I will keep reading his books and generations of people will.
He will never be forgotten, but he sure will be missed.
Bye Hitch.
I had the chance to Christopher in 2007 in Tunisia. A humble man, a sharp mind, an eloquent speaker.
GOOD BYE DEAR CHRISTOPHER.
I will never forget you
Akram Khalifa
Tunisia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16212418
This all changed, however, on his deathbed; according to 27 friends, family members, doctors, and priests who saw him in his final days, Hitchens had become a very fervent convert to Christianity.
"He was very sorry for all the things he'd said and done against God and Christianity," said Father Robert Smith. "He begged me for forgiveness on his deathbed. He kept repeating the same Bible verse over and over again too, John 3:16."
I bet whoever is running this is too cowardly to post my comment.
A sad day. A great thinker has peeled off the road of fellow wayfarers and faded into the surrounding forest.
A heavy heart is especially sad today. I recall a poem about the an old Texas imagineer, Hondo Crouch. A verse applies ,I think, to Christopher.
It goes "Texas swing out of your saddles
Abilene pick up your cards
Houston blink up from your blueprints
Dallas stop smiling so hard
One of your cowboys is missing
By the name of Hondo Crouch
His heart was so full of mischief
It grinned open and slipped out. I feel this applies to this man who made us think, and nothing greater can be assigned as one's purpose for his fellow men. Chris Cashiola.
That news sucks. I am devastated. It was like a vice around my heart when I saw the headline and opened the link
Hitch was the closest thing I've had to a hero. I think Hitchslap is the best word in the English language. It summarized his laser intelligence and wit and surgical decimation of opponents who talked gibberish and played the man not the ball and never with the flair and manners, eloquence or learned ness of this wonderful human
I am another whose life was changed by the life altering eye opening effects of your views and arguments
Vale Christopher an exemplary human who served all humanity. Sympathy to his family and friends and thank you for supporting him and sharing him with us and enabling him to make such an incredible contribution to the world.
You will be sorely missed Mr Hitchens but your legacy will live in me and many others thank you
Freedom loving people have suffered a great loss.
Hitchens freed me from the bondage of superstition and has set me on a path to truly help all my fellow human beings who suffer from tyrants, tyrant institutions and fundamentalist institutions.
He will be remembered at the end of the 21st century and beyond equal to Freud's legacy of being remembered still to this day from the influence he had during the early 20th century.
Luckily, we have his books, papers and video debates to use as comforts and as ammo against those who would dare to bind our freedom.
I'm not a rich man, but I will be thefi rst to buy a collection of his writtings.
John, College Station, Texas '99
He was a teacher, philosopher and great debater. Who taught me that to win a debate one's aim is not to win, but to know the opponents argument. I wonder from where Mister Hitchens learned that skill!?
Last night I wrote a blog post entitled "The Late Christopher Hitchens as a Strange Sort of Kindred Spirit." It's a written from, perhaps, a unique perspective as one professing faith yet deeply appreciative of Hitchens. If you're interested, here's the link:
http://carsontclark.com/uncategorized/9705/christopherhitchens
Life just get shittier! You left when we needed you most. World will miss you. R.I.P.
You are always our our mind.
P.K
Iran
I always wondered what I would do the day Hitch died and what I would do to remember him as a small gesture. It turns out I didn't realise his passing because I was in Oxford at a dinner party with good friends talking and drinking slightly too much wine.. I don't think I could of thought of a better way to celebrate his life if I had tried. It was a pleasure to meet you briefly Christopher Hitchens and your books will always have pride of place on the bookshelf. Thank You
Take the risk of thinking for youself, much more happiness,truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way.
Wonderful words from one of the great minds of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Thank goodness for utube, you will not be forgotten Christopher.
Christopher Hitchens, is greeted by Saint Peter at the gates of heaven: " Christopher, get ready to praise the lord forever and ever"
Christopher: " excuse me sir, I don't want to be here , I don't want to praise the dear leader. I've already been to f@#%*g North Korea and I don't like to be addressed in that tone of voice"
St. Peter: "but we have the best wine brewed daily by our other Lord, Jesus Christ"
Christopher: " Sir, I only drink the breakfast of champions, Jack Daniels. I accept no substitutes"
Vivirás por siempre Christopher.
I hope the world realises the importance of what it just lost. I know I do.
How very sad for his family and all of the people he led to believe that your intellect has any power over anything. The bible says that the wisdom of man is foolishness to God. How hopeless this world would be if you truly believe that death is the end of all. What would be the point of living? I am saddened by the sorrow you all seem to feel, and even more saddened by the fate you all share by living a life without God. I pray that you will all come to know Jesus. NOT religion. Jesus.
Saddened by the loss of a great freethinker.
RIP Chistopher Hitchens. The world has lost a great man. His fatherly, assertive voice will never be forgotten.
I sure wish those two turds, Jesus and the Baptist had died of Pneumonia !
A sad day indeed. Thank you Hitch - thank you, thank you, thank you!
Christopher -
DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO
THAT GOOD NIGHT
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
[with appreciation also to Dylan Thomas]
If death is the end of life, what would be the point of living?
Why, it would be living.
Just yesterday I had a stronger then usual urge to finally start on a painting of mr Hitchens, of which I had already made preliminary sketches. The plan was to send it to himself as my token of appreciation for all that he has meant to me :(. Now it's too late...I'm still finishing it but and use it as an altar for mr him. Sorry i had to get this off my chest.
I will cherish you're words forever mr Hitchens
Sudeep
RIP Christopher Hitchens, hopefully people will learn from your legacy one day. :((((
Dear Christopher Hitchens,
The world feels darker without you but you will not be forgotten, at least by me. Rest in peace.
I could use a good "hitchslap" now. I think I will watch some classic Christopher on youtube. You will be sorely missed.
Christopher Hitchens left this world yesterday.
This is a very sad event, because unbeknownst to the multitudes ... when a man with that much transcendental intelligence and enlightenment passes on ... the state of Earth "devolves" ... and we must wait generations to recoup the intellectual loss.
What a tragedy. :'(
Deeply, deeply saddened.
Valerie J. Stone
Canada
I will miss going to Daily Hitchens looking for one more article by Hitch. I will miss looking forward to my next issue of Vanity Fair to have one more essay. For years I have been reading his essays. I have not had enough. I will miss going to YouTube to view his debates. I will miss knowing he is in the world making it a better place for everyone. I lift my cup of tea to The Hitch -- I made it just as he advised. I miss him already.
"The bible says that the wisdom of man is foolishness to God." Hitch's words give the lie to that statement. The blinding light he gave off by burning the candle at both ends has gone out now, things are noticeably dimmer for his passing, but this is not a time to weep, or fear, or despair. What his death means is that we must all shine a little brighter to make up the difference.
I feel empty tonight. Miss you, Chris. Miss you.
....."where would God be without man?"....there for my dog just is as am I. Christopher seemed to understand this simplicity and truth.
Lived in the present. Used his intellect to wake many from their slumber ( or ignorance ). What a lovely mind. We will always want more of his good stuff.
I am truly devastated. No loss of a celebrity, or someone I have never personally met, has touched me like this. I will miss his wit, intelligence, voice, sarcasm, humor, vocabulary, charisma, way with words and prose, and above all his unflinching willingness to say what he believes, with no apparent fear of what others may think of him. I admire and envy all of these qualities. I am already sad for all the things to come that he will be unable to comment on, and I am especially sad because no one will ever come close to filling his shoes.
Hitch : you set my mind free
I will miss you my heroe!!
I am very sad this day
a great and very brainy guy to emulate RIP
The trouble with this outpouring of positive comment re Hitchens is that he wasn't actually terribly smart. He was one of the leading "intellectuals" of our time mainly in helping to confuse the question of the goodness of an argument withe the fervor with which it is offered. This is no more useful when it is Hitchens being fervent than when it is Glenn Beck.
A few idiots have left stupid or inflammatory comments here. That is a great tribute to Hitch. First, he was a champion of free speech. Second, he helped teach all of us how to critically assess arguments. In particular, he helped us see through arguments that might have an intuitive or populist appeal, but are flawed when examined more carefully. Most crucially, though, he showed us how to have the strength to calmly stand up to flawed arguments and to realize when our earlier assumptions might be wrong: “The defense of science and reason is the great imperative of our time.”
Well said Anonymous at 10.51 AM. You were probably aiming your remarks at Anonymous at 10.23 PM, who is probably a god bothering wanker who has never had an original thought in his life I suggest.
I had been fearing this news for the last few weeks as I sensed a falloff in new content on the site. I have a great admiration for this man though I often cannot comprehend his writings to their fullest due to my poor vocabulary. His wit and presence was beyond compare and I fear there will be no other like him for a very long time. Thank you Hitch, your writings and insights will continue to bear fruit for years to come.
That guy's IQ was like 160-170.
This is a total loss !
What a loss, for us, for the world, for humanity. I will always regard him as one of the greatest minds of this century, and he will be greatly missed.
My condolences to his wife and children, and everyone lucky enough to call him friend.
It hurts knowing that this man is not living anymore. Love you, Hitch.
Very dismaying to read all your hyperbole.
More than 50 % of those having left a comment here seem to me downright religious.
Merry Christmas Christopher. We Love and miss you and here's a Christmas present.
Jesus loves abortion because it gives him more children to molest in Heaven !
Enjoy !
Anonymous Dec 23 1:02 pm is dismayed by "hyperbole" and by comments that seem "downright religious."
What would Hitch say?
1. Please provide a few specific examples of hyperbole and then explain why those exaggerations (such as metaphors) are either negative or religious rather than simply figurative uses of language that convey the strong emotions that are felt after the death of an appreciated human being.
2. I haven't noticed any comments here that are religious in any of the following ways:
- someone will burn in eternal fires in an unspecified location if they do not live their life following the examples that Hitch set
- someone is evil and will cause terrorist attacks on the US because they have consenting sex in a way that is different than the ways Hitch had sex
- the drinking of the sacramental Johnnie Walker black is literally drinking Hitch's blood (transubstantiation)
- Hitch is now watching us and keeping track of all of our behaviors according to an arbitrary list that he has left printed on gold tablets on a hill in Manchester, New York
- Hitch has encouraged us to commit murderous suicide attacks against anyone who speaks badly of him or who depicts him in any irreverent way
Brilliant, WWHS !
Yeah religious like," because of Christopher Hitchens I land in 3rd world countries and tell Indigenous tribesmen that If they "spank their monkeys" they'll be on fire next to a tailed, winged Bat named Satan forever " ?
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