Christopher Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was an English-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, journalist, and social critic. He was a prominent figure in the public intellectual scene for many decades, and was known for his staunch defence of unfettered free speech, atheism, and anti-authoritarianism.
Hitchens was born in Portsmouth, England. He was the elder son of Eric Ernest Hitchens and Yvonne Jean Hitchens. Growing up, he was a secularist and a social democrat. He attended the independent Leys School in Cambridge, and later studied at Balliol College, Oxford, where he was tutored by the renowned literary critic and scholar, Steven Lukes. He graduated in 1970 with a first-class degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.
Hitchens’ career spanned four decades. He wrote for a number of magazines and newspapers, including Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, The Nation, and Slate. He had a critical, polemical, and often confrontational style, and he was particularly known for his criticism of public figures and institutions. He is best known for his book God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, which was a New York Times bestseller.
Hitchens was a vocal critic of religion and particularly of Islam and Christianity. He was also a vocal critic of the George W. Bush administration and the Iraq War. He was a strong proponent of the War on Terror, and was an outspoken critic of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Hitchens was also a prolific author, having written or co-authored over thirty books. His works include Why Orwell Matters, The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice, and Hitch-22: A Memoir. He was also a frequent lecturer, and he was a visiting professor at the New School for Social Research in New York.
Hitchens passed away on 15 December 2011 from esophageal cancer. His legacy lives on in his works, which continue to inspire and educate. His commitment to the principles of free speech, atheism, and anti-authoritarianism have made him an important public figure.
