The response was greater than I expected: we have about 40 tributes to Hitch, and they’re great. Rather than putting them all up at once, which I’m told could clog some people’s blog readers, I’ll do them five at a time over the next week or so. Often the words that accompany the photos are very moving. If you have a photo/drawing, send it to me ASAP—there’s still time.
The first is, appropriately, from Mason Crumpacker and her mother Anne. Mason, you’ll recall, was the girl whom Hitchens provided with a reading list at the atheist meetings in Houston, and here she’s holding one of the books Hitch recommended. (The messages provided by the readers, as with this one, will be indented.)
Our tribute photo: Hitchling locked and loaded:
Reader Bala created some images in memory of Hitchens; here’s one:
From Kurt Lewis Helf, an ecologist:
From “yesmyliege”:
Attached is a photo of Atlas confronting the Church, which I took in Rockefeller Center, which I thought might be an appropriate symbolic essay on Hitchens’ important literary contributions for atheism. From Wikipedia on Atlas: “Atlas continues to be a commonly used icon in western culture, as a symbol of strength or stoic endurance…. Atlas is used as a metaphor for the people who produced the most in society, and therefore “hold up the world” in a metaphorical sense.”
And from Chuck O’Connor:
This is a photo that captures for me the legacy Hitch leaves me with. It is a snap-shot of my son at the Peggy Notebart Nature Museum butterfly house. It embodies the honest sense of legacy Hitchens often spoke of in his relationship with his children and the best response of our natural world, learning about it. My son is the only connection I have to life after death and sharing with him the wonders of nature is the only worship I want to enjoy.
Beautiful. May “Hitchling” go instanteneously viral, and may the Hitch-on-Death photo become a poster for all to see. Jerry, thank you.
Mason Crumpacker manifesting the kindly but insistent death-wish of a “great thinker” (to progressively and appropriately render one’s-self familiar with the truly mature and “evolutionary sieved” literature of humanity simultaneously welled tears to my ancient eyes, brought true hope to my fibrillating ticker, and “tickled me to bits!”)
I, like Christopher, can die very easy with the understanding that the generation that replaces me is crowded with the erudite clones of Mason. Be it in Montreal or Mombassa.
Beijing or Borneo.
Post Scriptum:
Mason, I expect that you shall find that some of the Greek myths are far more engaging than Harry Potter, or Narnia.
Some of them are truly tedious and rightfully boring. Don’t let your peers cower you into saying otherwise!
Enjoy:- enjoy what you actually revel in.
Ignore what other folk tell you that you “should” enjoy.
Oh, Mason:
That includes me, of course!
Well done, good sir! You set the example of how to be honest with yourself (insight) and with the world. We cannot be perfect. We can only strive for perfection through the courage to correct ourselves and our statements.
We began with Aphrodite the “Disney princess” of greek goddesses. It was pure smut. Mason was squirming around in a blushing ball under the cover on the bed. At one point she peeked out and squealed, “Does Mr. Hitchen’s know what is IN the book?” I replied, “Yes, sweetie. I’m sure he does.” 🙂
When I finished reading we had a delightful mother/ daughter talk about sex and sexual responsibility. I’m sure beginning the Robert Graves will be one of my favorite memories from her childhood. We highly recommend it!
@Chuck O’Connor
That is one precious hitchling! 🙂
Thanks.
I hope I raise him with the same care you have loved Mason.
Peace to you.
Although I appreciate the sentiment, I’m fairly certain that the quote in the second image wasn’t said by Hitchens, but by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Yes, I looked up the quote and I think you’re right. I’ve replaced it with another photo produced by Bala whose quote does indeed seem to come from Hitchens. Good catch!
And the replacement sounds much more like Hitch, too!
Thanks Adam. Since the image is replaced, not sure which quote you meant. I did three posters. First one had the quote “Death is certain. It replaces….” It is from the Portable Atheist. I admit I haven’t read the book but read the quote reproduced in an article by the ABC.
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2011/12/hitchens-remembered-through-15-of-his-most-memorable-quotes/
Second one is “Take the risk of thinking for yourself”
http://i40.tinypic.com/m7rxxy.jpg
This quote is from a BBC interview with Paxman
sorry I mixed up there. “Take the risk of thinking for yourself” is from a debate with Tony Blair. “I refuse to be told…” is from an interview with BBC.
The “death is certain” quote is the one I meant. It was written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, but it appeared in the essay she contributed to The Portable Atheist, a book edited by Hitchens, which may be the source of confusion.
In an ultimate tribute to Christopher Hitchens, Václav Havel has died.
In an ultimate tribute to Christopher Hitchens, George Eaton of the New Statesman has—briefly—given Havel’s birth year as 1949, same as Hitchens.
Václav Havel was 75.
In an ultimate tribute to Christopher Hitchens, Atlantic winter storm ‘Joachim’ has swept across Western and Central Europe, beaching a cargo ship, derailing trains, uprooting trees, blocking roads and railways, spilling fuel on a nudist beach. Even the copper sheet roof of the venerable Hochkoenigsburg, favoured castle of Kaiser Wilhelm II, was blown away.
The sharp caustic wit of Hitchens is already missing. So is his sense of proportion. As if the whole world had been waiting for his death to indulge in a collective outpouring of saccharine sentiment, secure in the knowledge that it would not have to suffer another of his devastating rejoinders.
Similarly, at the Houston conference, I was able to briefly connect what I hoped were entertaining dots for Hitch, himself, regarding the August 23 east coast earthquake:
It originated halfway between Richmond (capitol of Virginia) and Washington, D.C. (current capitol of the United States), extending to New York City (first capitol of the US under the Constitution) by passing through Philadelphia (which Hitch, himself, added — the capitol under the Articles of Confederation) and on even to Danbury Connecticutt (which Hitch might also have added). Along the way, it damaged the National Cathedral (he was much more knowledgeable of the details than I), thereby proving its cause and intent.
The cause was Thomas Jefferson, reacting to the accelerated destruction of the wall of separation between church and state by turning over in his grave. Said grave is in Monticello, very near the quake’s ground zero, roughly halfway between Richmond and D.C. And, as we all know, Thomas Jefferson wrote the The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Letter to the Danbury Baptists. He also was the mentor of James Madison, inspiring Madison to compose on paper The Bill of Rights.
Were I to believe in superstition, I would most certainly believe that earthquake was nothing less than Mr. Jefferson turning over in his grave.
And, when I mentioned this to another conference attendee, he connected other fun dots: The more Rick Perry prayed, the worse Texas drought problems became, and then the fires resulting from that severity! Until we atheists converged on Houston, there simply was no rain. And, when we did, the clouds let loose in grand style.
So, whose side is skydaddy on, anyway? LOL!!!
Apologies for being slightly picky, but your geography’s a tad off. Charlottesville is WNW of Richmond while DC is ENE. The quake was centered roughly between Richmond and Charlottesville. But that only enhances the notion of Jefferson spinning in his grave.
Tangentially related, Jerry and Jefferson are both alumni of the same institution, and it’s not UVA.
Darn! And, thank you, @Hempenstein. You’d think I’d know this stuff! No matter. I stand corrected and appreciative.
I believe that another fitting tribute is to reread and repost Hitchens’ writings. A favorite is Hitchens filleting Ann Coulter, found here http://www.theliberal.co.uk/hitchens.htm and reposted on my blog. I would encourage anyone who has a blog to go forth and do likewise.
Love love love the picture of Mason! The exchange she had with Hitch was a such a wonderful, poignant moment to remember him by – and such an excellent demonstration of the real heart of freethinkers and the free thought movement. The other entries a lovely, too, of course.
Beautiful and moving tributes. Mason’s is especially adorable, sweet, poignant, and inspiring.
These are lovely, what a great idea.
For anyone who doesn’t know the story of Mason and Hitch, I blogged about it at http://cstuarthardwick.wordpress.com/2011/10/09/the-hitch-list/
and posted my video of the event here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erFI2VZvETA
I am deeply grateful to have had the chance to see him speak, and that the science and reason that he valued so much will see his contributions live on.