海角大神

Controversy always seemed to follow Christopher Hitchens. In its latest iteration, controversy has followed the late polemicist, now the center of controversy in a new book, to his grave.

In 鈥淯nhitched: The Trial of Christopher Hitchens,鈥� political activist and author Richard Seymour employs a unique technique to shred Hitchens鈥檚 political philosophy to pieces: Seymour puts the late writer on trial.

鈥淚t is written in the spirit of a trial,鈥� Seymour tells the UK鈥檚 Guardian. 鈥淚 do attempt to get a sense of the complexity and gifts of the man, but it is very clearly a prosecution, and you can guess my conclusion.鈥�

In that spirit, 鈥淯nhitched,鈥� released today, interrogates Hitchens and builds a case against the man whom Seymour calls an 鈥渁manuensis鈥� of the George W. Bush administration. The book also charts his shift from 鈥渃areer-minded socialist鈥� and 鈥渓eft-wing firebrand鈥� to 鈥渘eoconservative Marxist鈥� who Seymour describes as 鈥渁n advocate of America鈥檚 invasion of Iraq filled with passionate intensity.鈥�

Seymour explores Hitchens鈥檚 early days as a socialist with the Labour party and casts doubt on the late author鈥檚 own version of events in his memoir, 鈥淗itch 22.鈥� 鈥淚鈥檝e interviewed a lot of his former comrades. If you read Hitch 22, it鈥檚 not an entirely reliable account 鈥� what he remembers and what others remember are different,鈥� says Seymour. 鈥淗e鈥檚 subtly, and sometimes not so subtly, revised things.鈥�

While the book is highly critical of Hitchens鈥檚 views on war, politics, and religion, there are characteristics of the late writer Seymour openly admires. 鈥淭here are parts in his writing where you read it and glow, it鈥檚 so perfectly put,鈥� Seymour says. Still, all in all, 鈥淯nhitched鈥� is 鈥渁 denunciation of the changes he underwent in the last 10 years in particular, with Iraq and America the two central themes,鈥� Seymour adds.

鈥淯nhitched鈥� grew out of an essay Seymour had written about Hitchens which was published in a collection called 鈥淐hristopher Hitchens and His Critics.鈥� After Seymour sent Hitchens a copy of that essay, their relationship deteriorated. 鈥淲e stopped exchanging emails shortly afterwards,鈥� Seymour recalls. 鈥淗e thought of it as an insult and threw a few back.鈥�

Based on that initial essay, radical leftist publisher Verso commissioned 鈥淯nhitched鈥� about six months after Hitchens鈥檚 death in December 2011. In spite of the bad blood between the two, Seymour is hopeful that, were he alive today, Hitchens 鈥渕ight have had a bit of a laugh鈥� about the new book. 鈥淥ne thing in his favor is that he was narcissistic but not prickly or vain,鈥� he told the Guardian. 鈥淚 think he would have thrown an insult or two at me. He described Max Blumenthal as 鈥榓 young skunk who hasn鈥檛 learned to piss yet鈥� and I think I could expect something along those lines.鈥�

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.