Is it too soon? Humorous Prewritten Eulogy for Christopher Hitchens

[Douger]

eXiled eXclusive! Advance Copy Of Martin Amis Eulogy For (The Nearly-Departed) Christopher Hitchens - By John Dolan - The eXiled

The Man Whose Pharynx Was Horrorized
By Martin Amis
In Memory of Christopher Hitchens, 1949-[TK date of publication] (note to ed: hold this piece for publication until throat c. gets Hitch; then publish IMMED. MA)

 

[AtheistVet]

It was too hard to read, so I didn't.

 

[JustMeSee]

What would Jesus write?

Doubtfully, drivel like that. Very typical of some Christians.

 

[thaumaturgy]

eXiled eXclusive! Advance Copy Of Martin Amis Eulogy For (The Nearly-Departed) Christopher Hitchens - By John Dolan - The eXiled

Douger, I'm all for a good jab and I'm sure even Hitchens could take it, probably enjoy it. I'm not familiar enough with Amis' writing to "get the joke" around the verbiage used.

But I'm curious what attracted you to this? Was it the humor, or the grizzly concept of an atheist dying of throat cancer?

Would you have similarly felt it fun to post a "pre-legy" for Billy Graham or perhaps the funny story of the imminent death from some form of cancer of some other church figure?

Help me understand: was it the humor of the piece or was it Hitch's impending death from throat cancer?

 

[Received]

How is Hitch lookin'? Last I heard he was on experimental medications and there was a reasonable amount of hope.

 

[stamperben]

How is Hitch lookin'? Last I heard he was on experimental medications and there was a reasonable amount of hope.

He died last night in Houston.

 

[oliverb]

It's easy to take shots at Hitchens, and there's lots I disagree with him on. But he'll be missed, he was one of the brightest writers and pundits of our time. I wish he hadn't had to suffer as much as he did in his final years.

 

[Received]

He died last night in Houston.

Well [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]. No. Idea.

 

[DaisyDay]

Douger, I'm all for a good jab and I'm sure even Hitchens could take it, probably enjoy it. I'm not familiar enough with Amis' writing to "get the joke" around the verbiage used.

But I'm curious what attracted you to this? Was it the humor, or the grizzly concept of an atheist dying of throat cancer?

Would you have similarly felt it fun to post a "pre-legy" for Billy Graham or perhaps the funny story of the imminent death from some form of cancer of some other church figure?

Help me understand: was it the humor of the piece or was it Hitch's impending death from throat cancer?

It's possible that Hitchens and Amis were friends. From Charles McGrath:

Hitch was gaunter and frailer than when I had seen him last, and most of his hair was gone. His voice was so soft that when I played it back later on my recorder, I had trouble hearing it. But it was still the Hitchens voice, not so different in person from what it was on the page: long, perfectly turned paragraphs, with barely a pause or an “um.” He was, as usual, brilliant, funny, irreverent and impossibly erudite, citing, among others, Orwell, Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Cyril Connolly, Martin Amis, Nabokov, the King James Bible and P. G. Wodehouse. He quoted from memory most of two Larkin poems and a big chunk of Kipling.

Spending An Afternoon in Christopher Hitchens's Hospital-Room-Turned-Office - NYTimes.com

 

[Douger]

Douger, I'm all for a good jab and I'm sure even Hitchens could take it, probably enjoy it. I'm not familiar enough with Amis' writing to "get the joke" around the verbiage used.

But I'm curious what attracted you to this? Was it the humor, or the grizzly concept of an atheist dying of throat cancer?

Would you have similarly felt it fun to post a "pre-legy" for Billy Graham or perhaps the funny story of the imminent death from some form of cancer of some other church figure?

Help me understand: was it the humor of the piece or was it Hitch's impending death from throat cancer?

It was the humor.
And thank you for trying to understand where this was coming from. I appreciate that.

 

[thaumaturgy]

It was the humor.
And thank you for trying to understand where this was coming from. I appreciate that.

Ahhh, got it. Then indeed it is not too soon. As I would be surprised if Hitchens himself wouldn't fully expect it.

(And, clearly by definition it wasn't too soon anyway!)