Salil Tripathi on Christopher Hitchens - A, Um, Nice Obit

Here's the inimitable and lucid Salil Tripathi on Christopher Hitchens in Mintlive.

And what of his critics? Some of them disliked American hegemony so much that they failed to see, or chose to ignore, that they were siding with gay-bashing misogynists who thought nothing of sending young people on suicide missions. Others acquiesced with fundamentalists who backed the fatwa on his old friend Salman Rushdie​ and wanted his novel Satanic Verses banned. Hitch stood firm with Rushdie, naming and shaming those who failed to defend Rushdie. I know of several brave people whom he supported in writing or in private, as they defended civil liberties, free speech, women's rights, or trade union rights. He understood how totalitarian states ruled by fear: he admired those who took risks and stood up to such regimes, and he had the courage to confront tyrants with his words.

I think that would serve as an excellent obituary, unless more words of the same tone and venerability has been written in other media. If you come across any, please let me know, here, or on Facebook or Twitter. I am turning into a great fan of the man.

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