In his memoir Hitch-22, appropriately referring, of course, to Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, Hitchens describes his life of contradictions in a world of contradictions.
The first two chapters focus on his parents, Yvonne and the Commander, respectively and the following chapters continue with descriptions of his education, political activity and friendships. For the most part it’s a very informative read. His family life is interesting coming from two opposite parents, his mother a complicated woman who never quite made it in high society while his father is boring, pessimistic but courageous and modest (one can see where these contradictions began).
His descriptions of school, I found to be somewhat boring; involving mostly praise of himself and his superior abilities in reading (I didn’t need 2 chapters of that but it was interesting to see where his first intellectual influences were drawn from). However the section where he describes the Leys was rather engaging as it describes how boys dealt with their raising awareness of hormones in an all boys school.
He describes his activity as an activist for the left labor party union and his constant hunt for conflict-ridden areas to help liberate whichever group of people had only limited rights (if that). These chapters are very informative in terms of modern history but I did not feel like I was getting an in-depth personal account. In the chapter concerning Iraq, quite the opposite is the case. His descriptions are so vivid, particularly when describing Saddam confirming his power and another time where he went to a mass grave. For me this was the most grasping part of the book. It also marks the change he made from his alliance with the left towards believing in intervention. Perhaps this was why he was able to describe with such impact.
He also describes his friendships with other intellectuals, some friendships still active others destroyed over political differences and hurtful remarks discovered in printed publications. In these cases, particularly the latter, I felt he was explaining his side of the story with disputes. His relationship with Martin Amis is unique. There is strong bond between the two and it was interesting watching Amis hanging around with Hitchens during an interview for the Atlantic concerning his cancer and therapy after having read the chapter on their friendship. It was visual footage of the support described in the book. The other chapter I enjoyed was “Something of Myself” which I felt was also very personal (and which also proves that Hitchens intentionally constructed his memoirs as a collective documentation of some defining periods in his life rather than a personal depiction).
Other than some Vanity Fair articles this is the first time I have read Hitchens. Even if not every chapter is grasping this is true only because of the subject matter. The writing itself, I find masterful and as soothing as listening to his debates. I do find a very important lesson in his memoir and that is to avoid any self-labeling precisely because the world and our own lives are filled with such contradictions. I think this understanding is easier for those with more exposure to different cultures and influences, by whatever means, i.e. open-minded people. While Hitchens is no longer associated with the left, he most certainly does not belong with the right. He is his own person and bases his opinions on his own experiences, observations and knowledge. While some may not agree with all his views, including myself, I find him a completely trustworthy and honest source for views on world conflicts and on life. I recommend this book to those who like to write or are interested in a brief overview of some political conflicts in the past 3 decades. Otherwise, just stick to the chapters I found particularly grasping, unless you want to see for yourself!
Eliz.
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