Tag Archives: Christopher Hitchens

The Books: Arguably, ‘On Animal Farm’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Christopher Hitchens wrote an entire book on Orwell called Why Orwell Matters (it’s great, no surprise). His mentions of Orwell in print probably run into the hundreds of thousands. And not … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Rebecca West: Things Worth Fighting For’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens How do you “explain” Rebecca West? Especially to those who haven’t heard of her? Never mind the fact that it’s so strange and wrong that her name doesn’t resonate at the … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Marx’s Journalism: The Grub Street Years’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens In a June, 2007 piece in The Guardian, Christopher Hitchens reviewed Dispatches for the New York Tribune: Selected Journalism of Karl Marx, edited by James Ledbetter, with a foreword by Francis … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘The Dark Side of Dickens’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens In his review of Michael Slater’s Charles Dickens, Hitchens compares it to Peter Ackroyd’s 1990 biography of Dickens. He seems to admire both. But he does clock a couple of interesting … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Edmund Burke: Reactionary Prophet’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France is one of the great political tracts in existence. Like Tom Paine (who wrote Rights of Man as a sort of blistering REPLY … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Vladimir Nabokov: Hurricane Lolita’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens In December, 2005 Hitchens wrote an essay about Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, using it as an opportunity to discuss The Annotated Lolita, by Alfred Appel Jr. (which Hitchens seems to appreciate very … Continue reading

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The Books: Arguably, ‘Upton Sinclair: A Capitalist Primer’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Like most people, I had to read Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle in high school. I’m thinking junior year. I haven’t read it since. My memories of it are vivid. The stink … Continue reading

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The Books: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays, ‘Visit to a Small Planet’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays Anyone who’s read me for a while knows my fascination with totalitarian countries, autocracies, dictatorships, group brainwashing masked as ideological fervor, the whole nine yards. I actually could spend … Continue reading

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The Books: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays, ‘The Strange Case of David Irving’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays A 2001 joint book review from the Los Angeles Times: Hitchens reviewing The Holocaust on Trial, by D.D. Guttenplan, and Lying about Hitler, by Richard J. Evans. In discussing … Continue reading

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The Books: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays, ‘It Happened on Sunset’, by Christopher Hitchens

On the essays shelf: Love, Poverty, and War: Journeys and Essays In this 1995 essay for Vanity Fair, about the history of Sunset Boulevard, Hitchens gives Joan Didion a run for her money in delving into the history (social, cultural, … Continue reading

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