Hitch-22
| Company type | Book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | May 2010 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom, United States |
| Products | Autobiographical memoir |
Hitch-22: A Memoir is the autobiographical work of writer and journalist Christopher Hitchens. This memoir was initially released in May 2010 by Atlantic Books in the UK and subsequently in June 2011 by Twelve, an imprint under Hachette Book Group USA. It received a nomination for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Hitchens was compelled to cut short his global book tour during the U.S. portion to commence treatment after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. Through his publisher and Vanity Fair, where he served as a contributing editor, Hitchens conveyed his apologies for the abrupt cancellation of scheduled appearances.
Description
Hitchens encountered difficulties at the outset of writing his memoir, commenting, "Typically, my writing involves constructing an argument... But this time, the subject is something I am intimately familiar with." Ultimately, he completed a draft that was double the length of the published edition.
The memoir features several striking disclosures that garnered media interest: as a peer of Bill Clinton at Oxford, Hitchens revealed that Clinton’s statement "I did not inhale" referred to an allergic reaction to smoke, although Clinton did consume marijuana through "cookies and brownies"; during the development of Martin Amis's novel Money, Hitchens and Amis conducted research by visiting a New York brothel; and at a social gathering, the then British Opposition Leader Margaret Thatcher humorously spanked Hitchens while calling him a "Naughty boy!"
New foreword
The 2011 paperback edition featured an additional foreword penned by Hitchens in which he disclosed his diagnosis of Stage Four oesophageal cancer: "I suffer from Stage Four oesophageal cancer. There is no Stage Five." He candidly acknowledged the seriousness of his condition, stating, "I trust it will not be seen as presumptuous to assume that anyone who has obtained this paperback edition of my memoir understands that it was authored by someone who, unbeknownst to himself at the time, had become gravely and possibly fatally ill... When this book was first published, I had just reached sixty-one. I write this now at a time when my doctors warn I may not see another birthday."
Critical reception
Dwight Garner of The New York Times lauded the memoir as "Electric and electrifying... He possesses a mind akin to a Swiss Army knife, capable of deftly dismantling or loosening an opponent's reasoning with ease." Alexander Waugh from The Spectator characterized it as "a compelling, humorous, poignant, sharp, and profound account." The autobiography was widely praised for its eloquent prose and sharp wit.
Hitchens passed away from esophageal cancer in 2011 at the age of 62.
External links
- Book preview at Barnes & Noble
- Interview with Hitchens on Hitch-22, May 27, 2010, C-SPAN