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Blistering and timely interrogation of the politics and motives of an infamous ex-leftist.
Irascible and forthright, Christopher Hitchens stood out as a man determined to do just that. In his younger years, a career-minded socialist, he emerged from the smoke of 9/11 a neoconservative “Marxist,” an advocate of America’s invasion of Iraq filled with passionate intensity. Throughout his life, he played the role of universal gadfly, whose commitment to the truth transcended the party line as well as received wisdom. But how much of this was imposture? In this highly critical study, Richard Seymour casts a cold eye over the career of the “Hitch” to uncover an intellectual trajectory determined by expediency and a fetish for power.
As an orator and writer, Hitchens offered something unique and highly marketable. But for all his professed individualism, he remains a recognizable historical type—the apostate leftist. Unhitched presents a rewarding and entertaining case study, one that is also a cautionary tale for our times.
Anonymous
Posted February 10, 2013
This short book is judicious yet efficient in its annihilation of the personality cult around 'the Hitch'. There are many specific judgments that a reader might disagree with, but the author's grasp of the material and the juicy morsels of information from Hitchens's old friends, comrades and acquaintances make it a potent demolition job and immense fun to read.
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Posted January 20, 2013
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Overview
Blistering and timely interrogation of the politics and motives of an infamous ex-leftist.
Irascible and forthright, Christopher Hitchens stood out as a man determined to do just that. In his younger years, a career-minded socialist, he emerged from the smoke of 9/11 a neoconservative “Marxist,” an advocate of America’s invasion of Iraq filled with passionate intensity. Throughout his life, he played the role of universal gadfly, whose commitment to the truth transcended the ...