I’m a big fan of Christopher Hitchens. He was a gadfly who shifted political stances several times in his career. Some I agreed with, some I didn’t. But Hitchens was always a top-notch writer with something to say. His best collection is Auguably. This new collection, And Yet… collects a lot of dated material. Do you really want to read about the political hanky-panky in Ohio during the 2004 election? The best of the essays in And Yet… focus more on literature. I really liked “Charles Dickens Inner Child,” “G.K. Chesterton: The Reactionary,” and “The Importance of Being Orwell.” Just terrific essays! I enjoyed Hitchens’s views on Edmund Wilson, Paul Scott, and V. S. Naipaul. If you’re a Hitchens fan you’ll want to read this book. If you just want to read Hitchens very best work, I’d highly recommend Arguably. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTETNS:
Che Guevara : goodbye to all that
Orwell’s list
Orhan Pamuk : mind the gap
Bring on the mud
Ohio’s odd numbers
On becoming American
Mikhail Lermontov : a doomed young man
Salman Rushdie : Hobbes in the Himalayas
My Red-state odyssey
The turkey has landed
Bah, humbug
A.N. Wilson : downhill all the way
Ian Fleming : bottoms up
Power suits
Blood for no oil?
How uninviting
Look who’s cutting and running now
Oriana Fallaci and the art of the interview
Imperial follies
Clive James : the omnivore
Gertrude Bell : the woman who made Iraq
Physician, heal thyself
Edmund Wilson : literary companion
On the limits of self-improvement, part I : of vice and men
On the limits of self-improvement, part II : vice and versa
On the limits of self-improvement, part III : mission accomplished
Ayaan Hirsi Ali : the price of freedom
Arthur Schlesinger : the courtier
Paul Scott : Victoria’s secret
The case against Hillary Clinton
The tall tale of Tuzla
V.S. Naipaul : cruel and unusual
No regrets
Barack Obama : cool cat
The lovely stones
Edward M. Kennedy : redemption song
Engaging with Iran is like having sex with someone who hates you
Colin Powell : Powell valediction
Shut up about Armenians or we’ll hurt them again
Hezbollah’s progress
The politicians we deserve
Rosa Luxemburg : Red Rosa
Joan Didion : “Blue nights”
The true spirit of Christmas
Charles dickens’s inner child
G.K. Chesterton : the reactionary
The importance of being Orwell
What is patriotism?
I’d like to read The Case Against Hitlery!
Bob, “The Case Against Hilary” covers the same issues Bernie Sanders raised: money, Wall Street, and spin.
As if ALL politicians don’t have such funding sources. But of hypocrites. I don’t know why Bob dislikes Clinton, but he does seem to “hate” a lot of things.
Rick, Christopher Hitchens criticizes Hillary for her chummy relationship with Wall Street. That $650,000 “speaker fee” that Goldman-Sachs paid Hillary is coming back to haunt her despite her protestations that money hasn’t influenced her votes.
I think I’d rather read Arguably.
So how was the wedding? At least you survived the Florida Insanity.
Jeff, I’ll have a travel post up on Wednesday. It was a whirlwind visit. The temperature really messed with a lot of Floridians. They cannot deal with “cold.”
I wonder if “the turkey has landed” refers to the classic WKRP episode.
I’m right there with the Floridians about the “cold”. Though I do own a heavy coat, it’s just for use at Bouchercon. I remember when Beth came here once, she needed a coat and I gave her the parka I got for LCC in Alaska (which I ultimately missed). If I hadn’t planned on going to LCC, she would have been out of luck.
Maggie, we expected warmth in Florida and we got rain, wind, and cold instead. But we’re used to that kind of weather. The Floridians aren’t.
It is in the low 40s this morning, but going to 67. At least we’re missing this week’s snow back home.
Rick: I also like a lot of things! I try to maintain balance in life!
Rick, Cap’n Bob is a passionate guy. You won’t get any wishy-washy opinions from Bob!