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11 March 2010

Divided we stand: the inside story of Christopher and Peter Hitchens

Rivalrous Hitchens brothers reveal all in moving memoirs.

By James Macintyre

For anyone interested in faith, politics, postwar British culture or — a bit more specialist — the Hitchens brothers, there is something of a feast available in the papers at present.

In the red corner, Christopher Hitchens — the hard-drinking “anti-theist” who wrote God is Not Great — is serialising his memoirs in the Sunday Times. In the blue corner, Peter Hitchens — the sober, right-wing Anglican who thinks the Conservative party is not conservative enough — is serialising his latest book, The Rage Against God, in the Mail on Sunday.

By way of disclaimer, I should “come out” as something of a Hitchens obsessive. Indeed I once intended to write an unauthorised joint biography of the pair, under the title of this blog, but wrote this rather inadequate profile instead. Probably a good thing, as it can’t have been as controversial and interesting as their own efforts.

For that reason, and because in a sense there is too much to say in a blog, I won’t say any more, but I would recommend a look at Christopher’s latest extract here, and Peter’s here, which between them make up two of the most surprisingly moving pieces I’ve read in some time.

 

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