For the Sake of Argument: Essays and Minority Reports
by Christopher Hitchens
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'For the sake of argument, one must never let a euphemism or a false consolation pass uncontested. The truth seldom lies, but when it does lie it lies somewhere in between.'. The global turmoil of the last few years has severely tested every analyst and commentator. Few have written with such insight as Christopher Hitchens about the large events - or with such discernment and with about the small tell-tale signs of a disordered culture. For the Sake of Argument ranges from the political show more squalor of Washington, as a beleaguered Bush administration seeks desperately to stave off disaster and Clinton prepares for power, to the twilight of Stalinism in Prague; from the Jewish quarter of Damascus in the aftermath of the Gulf War to the embattled barrios of Central America and the imperishable resistance of Saralevo, as a difficult peace is negotiated with ruthless foes. Hitchens' unsparing account of Western realpolitik in the end shows it to rest on delusion as well as deception. The reader will find in these pages outstanding essays on political assassination in America as well as a scathing review of the evisceration of politics by pollsters and spin-doctors. Hitchens' knowledge of the tortuous history of revolutions in the twentieth century helps him to explain both the New York intelligentsia's flirtation with Trotskyism and the frailty of Communist power structures in Eastern Europe. Hitchens' pointed reassessments of Graham Greene, P.G. Wodehouse and C.L.R. James, or his riotous celebration of drinkiny and smoking, display an engaging enthusiasm and an acerbic wit. Equally entertaining is his unsparing rogues' gallery, which gives us unforgettable portraits of the lugubrious 'Dr'Kissinger, the comprehensively reactionary 'Mother' Teresa, the preposterous Paul Johnson and the predictable P.J. O'Rourke. show lessTags
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A lucid collection of early(-ish) essays from Christopher Hitchens, For the Sake of Argument nevertheless lacks the vividness of his later writing. The content is familiar – literary criticism, support for Salman Rushdie, sallies against Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, the British monarchy and into political battles in general, with a regular focus on the United States' extracurricular activities in countries like Nicaragua and Iran. But it's also less appealing than his later selections.
This may merely be a sequencing issue; the book starts with a selection – depressing but interesting – grouped under the title 'Studies in Demoralization', and ends with a lengthy discussion of George Eliot, author of Middlemarch. But it might also show more be due to my over-familiarity with Hitchens' work by now, with the views expressed here further sharpened and improved in subsequent writings and debates. It might also be because For the Sake of Argument, compiling essays from the "Reagan-Bush-Thatcher decade" (pg. 2) of the late 80s and early 90s, is inevitably dated when read in 2020.
That said, it can be peculiar to read about Diana Spencer being discussed in a way we might speak of Meghan Markle nowadays – one can also substitute Reagan for Trump, or Mr Clinton for, well, Mrs Clinton. In this collection, one can read articles arguing against political correctness, identity politics, poll-driven media and, among many other uncanny things, the "fashion, in American black studies these days, for running down the DWEM – the Dead White European Male who is held to dominate the study of literature and civilization" (pg. 308). Were it not for the talk of Reagan and Thatcher and Diana in the present tense – with Bush not needing the further identification of Bush 'Senior' – I'd be inclined to double-check the dates. There is an arch contemporariness in all of Hitchens' writing, because he is concerned above all with matters of principle. show less
This may merely be a sequencing issue; the book starts with a selection – depressing but interesting – grouped under the title 'Studies in Demoralization', and ends with a lengthy discussion of George Eliot, author of Middlemarch. But it might also show more be due to my over-familiarity with Hitchens' work by now, with the views expressed here further sharpened and improved in subsequent writings and debates. It might also be because For the Sake of Argument, compiling essays from the "Reagan-Bush-Thatcher decade" (pg. 2) of the late 80s and early 90s, is inevitably dated when read in 2020.
That said, it can be peculiar to read about Diana Spencer being discussed in a way we might speak of Meghan Markle nowadays – one can also substitute Reagan for Trump, or Mr Clinton for, well, Mrs Clinton. In this collection, one can read articles arguing against political correctness, identity politics, poll-driven media and, among many other uncanny things, the "fashion, in American black studies these days, for running down the DWEM – the Dead White European Male who is held to dominate the study of literature and civilization" (pg. 308). Were it not for the talk of Reagan and Thatcher and Diana in the present tense – with Bush not needing the further identification of Bush 'Senior' – I'd be inclined to double-check the dates. There is an arch contemporariness in all of Hitchens' writing, because he is concerned above all with matters of principle. show less
Hitchens at his most incisive.
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88+ Works 29,828 Members
Christopher Hitchens was born in Portsmouth, England on April 13, 1949. He was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and wrote for numerous other publications throughout his lifetime. He was the author of numerous books including No One Left to Lie To, For the Sake of Argument, Prepared for the Worst, God Is Not Great, Hitch-22: A Memoir, and show more Arguably. He died due to complication from esophageal cancer on December 15, 2011 at the age of 62. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Nonfiction, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 814.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American essays in English 20th Century 1945-1999
- LCC
- PN4874 .H52 .A3 — Language and Literature Literature (General) Literature (General) Journalism. The periodical press, etc. By region or country
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- English
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