Prepared for the Worst [Hardcover]

Christopher Hitchens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1988

A collection of the author's contributions to publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including "Times Literary Supplement", "The Spectator", "London Review of Books" and "New Statesman" and "Society". This collection includes sections devoted to literary criticism ranging from John Le Carre to Umberto Eco, foreign reportage from Beirut to Bombay and political analysis. Hitchens has a clear left-wing stance but his writings should appeal to those interested in modern politics.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hitchens has written a great deal of bracing good sense on politics and literature in the past decade or so, and much of it has been collected between the covers of this well-packed book. Since these pieces originally appeared in journals as wide-ranging as the TLS , Grand Street , Harper's , Mother Jones , the Nation and Spectator , only the most avid admirer would be likely to have come across them all. In addition to the predictable, eloquent Reagan-bashing, there are thoughtful essays on Paul Scott and his Raj Quartet , the contradictions of George Orwell, the Brideshead phenomenon, that very independent-minded Israeli Professor Israel Shahak, Conor Cruise O'Brien, even something as up-to-date as a perceptive review of Bonfire of the Vanities. Hitchens writes clearly, from a well-stocked mind, and is free of the cant that affects many political journalists. Why the kinds of views that he and his very kindred spirit Alexander Cockburn express so well never receive an airing on TV, where they would reach a much wider audience, remains a source of shame to a supposedly free medium. In any case, book (and magazine) readers can feel fortunate that publishers suffer no such self-imposed restraints.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1st edition (November 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809078678
• ISBN-13: 978-0809078677
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,426,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was the author of Letters to a Young Contrarian, and the bestseller No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family. A regular contributor to Vanity Fair, The Atlantic Monthly and Slate, Hitchens also wrote for The Weekly Standard, The National Review, and The Independent, and appeared on The Daily Show, Charlie Rose, The Chris Matthew's Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, and C-Span's Washington Journal. He was named one of the world's "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect.