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Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens Audiobook
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"All first-rate criticism first defines what we are confronting," the late, great jazz critic Whitney Balliett once wrote. By that measure, the essays of Christopher Hitchens are in the first tier. For nearly four decades, Hitchens has been telling us, in pitch-perfect prose, what we confront when we grapple with first principles-the principles of reason and tolerance and skepticism that define and inform the foundations of our civilization-principles that, to endure, must be defended anew by every generation.
"A short list of the greatest living conversationalists in English," said The Economist, "would probably have to include Christopher Hitchens, Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor, and Sir Tom Stoppard. Great brilliance, fantastic powers of recall, and quick wit are clearly valuable in sustaining conversation at these cosmic levels. Charm may be helpful, too." Hitchens-who staunchly declines all offers of knighthood-hereby invites you to take a seat at a democratic conversation, to be engaged, and to be reasoned with. His knowledge is formidable, an encyclopedic treasure, and yet one has the feeling, reading him, of hearing a person thinking out loud, following the inexorable logic of his thought, wherever it might lead, unafraid to expose fraudulence, denounce injustice, and excoriate hypocrisy. Legions of readers, admirers and detractors alike, have learned to read Hitchens with something approaching awe at his felicity of language, the oxygen in every sentence, the enviable wit and his readiness, even eagerness, to fight a foe or mount the ramparts.
Here, he supplies fresh perceptions of such figures as varied as Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Rebecca West, George Orwell, J.G. Ballard, and Philip Larkin are matched in brilliance by his pungent discussions and intrepid observations, gathered from a lifetime of traveling and reporting from such destinations as Iran, China, and Pakistan.
Hitchens's directness, elegance, lightly carried erudition, critical and psychological insight, humor, and sympathy-applied as they are here to a dazzling variety of subjects-all set a standard for the essayist that has rarely been matched in our time. What emerges from this indispensable volume is an intellectual self-portrait of a writer with an exemplary steadiness of purpose and a love affair with the delights and seductions of the English language, a man anchored in a profound and humane vision of the human longing for reason and justice.
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"Whether you like Hitchens or not, his essays are well thought out, very opinionated and bring up ideas that are not always obvious. I haven't finished all his essays, yet, but I've read over half of them. Some are funny (The New Commandments), some are venemous(JFK: In Sickness and by Stealth), some are frustrating (Why Women Aren't Funny) and all are "witty" to the point that I needed a dictionary by my side. I got the book from the library but now I'm going to buy it for my Nook so I can add all the comments are couldn't write down."
— Lynn (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“I still find Hitchens one of the most stimulating thinkers and entertaining writers we have, even when—perhaps especially when—he provokes.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“One reads Hitchens despite his reputation as someone who wants to drink, argue, and tear the ornaments off the tree, because he is, first and last, a writer, an always exciting, often exacting, furious polemicist. This fact, the most salient thing about him, often gets neglected in the public jousting. Arguably, Hitchens’ new collection, forcefully proves this point. Consisting of three kinds of writing—literary journalism, political commentary, and cultural complaint—Arguably offers a panoramic if somewhat jaundiced view of the last decade or so of cultural and political history.”
— Boston Globe -
“I can’t think of anyone who brings to such a diverse range of subjects Hitchens’ mobilizing wit, intelligence, and passion…One reason I shall keep Arguably by my side is Hitchens’ vigilant love of the English language…He is, in the parlance of his old party, our maximum journalist.”
— Telegraph (London) -
“One great pleasure provided by this remarkable book is to read what he says of many favorite and unexpected authors. Literary criticism still retains plenty of grip when so very well written, so funny and fluent, so loving and so pungent.”
— Independent (London) -
“Opinions are to Christopher Hitchens what oil is to Saudi Arabia. This collection features his liveliest, funniest, and most infamous essays…There is a time for the balanced, even-handed, and sober approach—but why bother with any of that when you could be reading someone as provocative and impish as Hitchens?”
— New York Post -
“Christopher Hitchens’ selected essays are Arguably his finest to date.”
— Vanity Fair
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2011 New York Times Top 10 Book
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Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award
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A 2011 Publishers Weekly Top 10 Book
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A Kirkus Reviews “New and Notable Title”, September 2011
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A 2011 ALA Notable Book
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A USA Today bestseller
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One of the 2011 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Nonfiction
Arguably Listener Reviews
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" It was much better than I expected. I found Hitchens to be a more likeable voice than I remembered. The breadth of his interests is impressive. His literary essays are brilliant. I wasn't terribly interested in his more political work, even though I do agree with him on many things. I'm not sure his insights are particularly unique. What I appreciated was his combative, opinionated and humane voice. "
— Mejix, 2/14/2014 -
" He certainly has a broad scope of knowledge regarding history. I probably shouldn't have started with his essay on why women are humorless. I did enjoy his essay on why the U.S. has become a banana republic. "
— Michaela, 2/6/2014 -
" This is a big read and I have not finished it yet. In truth it is a book for dipping into rather than reading cover to cover. Having said that I am finding it captivating, challenging and witty. Will say more when I have it finished which, given its size, may be some time. "
— Christine, 2/4/2014 -
" sad to see him go, notwithstanding his ideas about the Iraq war. "
— Richard, 2/2/2014 -
" Fantastic, hilarious, wonderfully written collection of essays. I cannot recommend this anthology highly enough. "
— Lauri, 2/1/2014 -
" a stunning compilation of wit and dialectic from 'arguably' the best writer of the age. R.I.P Hitch "
— Tai, 1/30/2014 -
" A mind like no other. We as a society are worse off without him. "
— Daniel, 1/13/2014 -
" Haven't read all of them but will continue to read the essays each time. "
— Kimba, 1/13/2014 -
" Typical Hitchens: erudite, extremely well written, extremely arrogant. If you like him, you'll love this book; if not then why bother? Best in small doses. "
— Dave, 1/9/2014 -
" Great book from a great writer. Too many people know Hitchens through his television appearances, but he is also a renowned literary critic and teacher. "
— Andreas, 12/28/2013 -
" I wouldn't have minded if they'd skipped that huge section of book reviews. "
— Eivind, 12/9/2013 -
" Encompasses a lot of topics...from American History to the Oriental myths....but more than that, its well researched and deftly written :) "
— Chayon, 11/22/2013 -
" Finished in a week. For those that say that Christopher Hitchens became a conservative, that he wrote. His latest "instant classic" essays comprised in a collection with broad scope and erudition that could only come together in a book with the name "Hitchens" on it. "
— Eric, 11/11/2013 -
" Hard reading in parts unless you have a particularly strong literary bent. That said, many good and interesting essays. "
— Mike, 8/23/2013 -
" As usual, this man is a master of the language and even if you don't agree with him you find yourself smiling at how well he writes. "
— Jeff, 5/15/2013 -
" Love Hitchens but found these essays too wordy and not clear, did not finish it, he is much better talking on religion "
— Ken, 3/31/2013 -
" Possibly a nostalgic 4 star, but that's the least hitch deserves I guess "
— Tim, 9/16/2012 -
" I might not always agree with his opinions but I certainly can't deny his erudition. "
— Peregrina651, 7/13/2012 -
" Gorgeous prose, breathtaking coverage, thought-provoking arguments. What more could you possibly ask of an essay collection ? "
— Serge, 10/14/2011 -
" Even if you don't like Hitch, you cannot deny the man has opinions and can back them up better than most. This is a collection of recent essays and book reviews. "
— Frank, 10/13/2011 -
" Erudite, interesting, controversial and brilliantly written. Fantastic collection. "
— Carey, 10/12/2011 -
" Reading in tandem with CD, narrated by Simon Prebble. It slows me down, but that's a desirable thing. "
— Mike, 10/8/2011 -
" Unbelievably good - and a lesson in what an independent voice sounds like. "
— Kevin, 9/9/2011
About Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011) was the author of Letters to a Young Contrarian and the bestseller No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family. A regular contributor to Vanity Fair, Atlantic Monthly, and Slate, he also wrote for the Weekly Standard, National Review, and Independent and appeared on The Daily Show, Charlie Rose, The Chris Matthew’s Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal. He was named one of the world’s “Top 100 Public Intellectuals” by Foreign Policy and Britain’s Prospect.
About Simon Prebble
N. T. Wright, former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England, now serves as chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. He has been featured on ABC News, Dateline, The Colbert Report, and Fresh Air. He is the award-winning author of such books as Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, After You Believe, Simply Jesus, How God Became King, and the series Christian Origins and the Question of God, and he is the translator of The Kingdom New Testament.