Comments

1. Noga

   Sunday 4 November 2007 at 18:58

   I find Hitchens’ honest tribute to Bellow’s talent strangely moving. The last time I read about the two of them mentioned in tandem was in Martin Amis’s book “Experience” where a meeting between the two is described as nothing short of disastrous.

   Amis recounts his memory of a visit during the 1970’s to Bellow’s house with Hitchens. Saul Bellow was Amis’s hero; he loved him with the loyalty of a son. The evening they all spend together is like a runaway train, when Hitchens launched a “cerebral stampede” against Zionism and Israel’s “crimes”.

   Amis says in his book: “a silence slowly elongated itself over the dinner table. Christopher, utterly sober but with his eyes lowered, was crushing in his hands an empty packet of Benson & Hedges. The Bellows, too, had their gazes downcast. I sat with my head in my palms, staring at the aftermath of the dinner. . . . My right foot was injured because I had kicked the shins of the Hitch so much with it.”

   I wonder what this tribute means, especially since he mentions Israel in connection to the Jewish/Black tensions at the time. After his disllusionment with Edward Said’s politics after 9/11, did he consider Saul Bellow’s ardent Zionism in a different light?

2. Will

   Sunday 4 November 2007 at 23:50

   Thank you for your intelligent, relevant, and interesting comment Noga.

   It has been a while since that happened round these parts.

3. Riley

   Friday 9 November 2007 at 3:30

   I agree, excellent post Noga. One could argue that there is a difference between appreciating a person’s distinct literary prowess and agreeing with that persons political views. Is it the appropriate topic for such a conversation over dinner with an esteemed writer whom you admire? Possibly not. Although, Hitchens has never been known for his reserved demeanor.