Hitch 22, a memoir written by the late Christopher Hitchens, is an exploration of Hitchens’ life and personal thought. The book touches on Hitchens’ upbringing and how he grew to become a renowned writer, critic, and public intellectual. Hitch 22 covers subjects such as Hitchens’ love of language, satire and polemic, his relationship with God, and his views on politics, culture, and war. While primarily a memoir, Hitch 22 is also an intellectual and personal exploration of the modern world.
Christopher Hitchens was born in Portsmouth, England and grew up in the nearby city of Oxford. As a young man, he was raised in an eclectic household, strongly influenced by his mother's belief in humanism. His parents encouraged him to read, write, and learn all that he could; Hitchens was proud to note that he was “capable of reciting Shelley’s 'Ode to a Skylark,’ at the age of four.” He became enamored with the works of Orwell, Huxley, and Kipling, which helped to shape his own beliefs and writings.
Hitchens’ first foray into professional writing came in 1970, when he wrote for the New Statesman. His work allowed him to express his political views and philosophies, and the magazine was the beginning of a long and successful career. Over the years, Hitchens wrote for many influential periodicals, such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Independent, and Vanity Fair. He cultivated a following by presenting his views on moral questions and matters of public interest. Hitchens was known for his unabashed views on religion and its role in the world—views that won him both fans and critics.
In Hitch 22, Hitchens looks back at his life and work in a reflective and at times humorous way. He talks about the writing that shaped his career, of which he says, “Leaving aside agitprop, I was never in my life a joiner and never entertained a collective or partisan view.” Hitchens examines his own views on religion, and why a lack thereof offer a great deal of freedom, which he found attractive. He was a firm believer in free will and defended his stance in his writing.
In Hitch 22, Hitchens touches upon many of his most heated controversies, including his views on the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the attacks of September 11th. In the first chapter, he quotes from his 2006 book, God Is Not Great, in which he declared, “Religion poisons everything.” Here, Hitchens argued for the virtues of secularism, which he found to be beneficial to the pursuit of truth.
Hitchens had a special connection to the United States, and dedicated time to observing the politics of the country. His views on the Bush administration and the Iraq war, among other subjects, were shared in his book. Hitch 22 also tackles Hitchens’ views on other topics, such as gender, which he saw as another form of oppression imposed by religion. He addressed sexism and the discrimination faced by women around the world, writing that “the case against gender prejudice is an argument that must be made and won if we are to have any further hope of human progress.”
Hitchens passed away in 2011. Hitch 22 remains, however, as a testament to his passion for life and for the written word. Throughout the book, Hitchens examines political and moral issues with finesse and wit that is still appreciated to this day.
