Arguably

Essays by Christopher Hitchens

By: Christopher Hitchens

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

"All first-rate criticism first defines what we are confronting," the late, great jazz critic Whitney Balliett once wrote. By that measure, the essays of Christopher Hitchens are in the first tier. For nearly four decades, Hitchens has been telling us, in pitch-perfect prose, what we confront when we grapple with first principles-the principles of reason and tolerance and skepticism that define and inform the foundations of our civilization-principles that, to endure, must be defended anew by every generation.

"A short list of the greatest living conversationalists in English," said The Economist, "would probably have to include Christopher Hitchens, Sir Patrick Leigh-Fermor, and Sir Tom Stoppard. Great brilliance, fantastic powers of recall, and quick wit are clearly valuable in sustaining conversation at these cosmic levels. Charm may be helpful, too." Hitchens-who staunchly declines all offers of knighthood-hereby invites you to take a seat at a democratic conversation, to be engaged, and to be reasoned with. His knowledge is formidable, an encyclopedic treasure, and yet one has the feeling, reading him, of hearing a person thinking out loud, following the inexorable logic of his thought, wherever it might lead, unafraid to expose fraudulence, denounce injustice, and excoriate hypocrisy. Legions of readers, admirers and detractors alike, have learned to read Hitchens with something approaching awe at his felicity of language, the oxygen in every sentence, the enviable wit and his readiness, even eagerness, to fight a foe or mount the ramparts.

Here, he supplies fresh perceptions of such figures as varied as Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, Rebecca West, George Orwell, J.G. Ballard, and Philip Larkin are matched in brilliance by his pungent discussions and intrepid observations, gathered from a lifetime of traveling and reporting from such destinations as Iran, China, and Pakistan.

Hitchens's directness, elegance, lightly carried erudition, critical and psychological insight, humor, and sympathy-applied as they are here to a dazzling variety of subjects-all set a standard for the essayist that has rarely been matched in our time. What emerges from this indispensable volume is an intellectual self-portrait of a writer with an exemplary steadiness of purpose and a love affair with the delights and seductions of the English language, a man anchored in a profound and humane vision of the human longing for reason and justice.

Love the Book; Hate the reading-- Way too fast

Would you try another book from Christopher Hitchens and/or Simon Prebble?

Hitchens puts a lot of thoughts into a few words; his economy of words make one want to enjoy the thought or, perhaps the way it is expressed by a master of English. But, alas, this is the first book I have encountered on Audible where the narrator spews out the words so fast that it is impossible to keep up with the author's train of thought, let alone appreciate the style of writing. Granted the hard cover book is rather large, but don't skimp on audio space by racing through the reading of the book...

After attempting to listen to this book, I had to go out and buy the hard cover. This is the first book I have had this issue with. I have listened to many of Hitchen's debates on my IPod and have had no issue when the author speaks himself. This is clearly the narrator scurrying hastily through the book. Do we get paid by the quantity of books narrated, so that a short book is paid the same as a lengthy tome like Arguably? Doubtable as this may be, it is the only possible reason I could see for the TV and radio-like

How could the performance have been better?

Read Slower. A lot slower.

Format was the only problem

Would you try another book from Christopher Hitchens and/or Simon Prebble?

I would and have.

Any additional comments?

My only concern is that the essays are not seekable by chapters. Skipping a chapter likely means I unintentionally skipped over two or three essays and landed in the middle of a third. This made book navigation very difficult and perhaps the first time I regretted getting an audio book.

Well worth the listen

I've been a fan of the good Mr. Hitchens for a few years now. Though being as young as I am means that I've only recently come to appreciate his essays. This worked well to help me hear many of those that came out when I was barely 11 years of age. Of the more recent ones, only ones from vanity fair were the ones I knew, so it was exciting to get to hear such a large and comprehensive selection.

The only thing I felt was off was mentioned in the review below(i.e. that Hitch wasn't the one to read this, but, as sick as he is, I understand.)

Works for me

Of course Hitchens is the single most polarizing writer of our time, you either rally behind his rapier wit or are insulted by it. Works well for me, intelligent essays that can be consumed in bite sizes when the mood strikes. Recommended highly for Hitchens fans.

Intelligent, Raw, Shocking and Real

Excellent writing. But you might want to listen more than once since processing such depth requires extreme concentration. Some stories make you wince in pain, but they are crudely real and sometimes necessary, though not always enjoyable. You walk away feeling better, more knowledgeable about things you've heard no where else.