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Christopher Hitchens

File:Christopher_Hitchens_crop_2.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Christopher Hitchens

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Also known as Christopher Eric Hitchens

English American author and journalist (1949–2011)

OverviewAI-generated

Christopher Hitchens was a journalist, writer, essayist, and autobiographer born Christopher Eric Hitchens on 13 April 1949 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. He held citizenship in the United Kingdom and the United States. Hitchens was educated at the University of Oxford and Balliol College. He resided in Washington, D.C., where he also worked. His notable works include *God Is Not Great*, *The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice*, *Mortality*, *Hitch-22*, *Travelling Hopefully*, *The General*, *Dieu n'est pas grand*, *Les crimes de Monsieur Kissinger*, and *The Best American Essays 2010*.

Hitchens was a member of the Socialist Workers Party and the Labour Party. He was influenced by George Orwell, Leon Trotsky, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. He received the Richard Dawkins Award. He died on 15 December 2011 in Houston from esophageal cancer and bronchopneumonia, with natural causes listed as the manner of death. He spoke British English and the English language. His sibling was Peter Hitchens.

Synthesized by Vinony from 31 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, Open Library, TMDb. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
13 April 1949
Died
15 December 2011
Works
61

Top works

  • Travelling Hopefully
  • The General
  • Dieu n'est pas grand
  • Les crimes de Monsieur Kissinger
  • The Best American Essays 2010

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK

Christopher Eric Hitchens was an English-American author, columnist, essayist, orator, journalist, and social critic. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics, and literature.

Known for

  • Kissinger — Self (archival footage)2025
  • Best of Enemies — Self2015
  • The Hitch — Self (archive footage)2014
  • Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune — Self2011
  • Holy Hell — himself2010
  • The Bible: A History2010
  • In Confidence2010
  • Collision — Self2009
  • Christopher Hitchens vs John Lennox - Is God Great? Debate2009
  • Atheist Alliance International Convention 2007 — Self2008

via TMDB

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Eric
Gender
male
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
Portsmouth
Place of death
Houston
Sibling
Peter Hitchens
Occupation
political scientist
Educated at
Balliol College
Political party
Labour Party
Languages spoken
English language
Native language
British English
Notable work
Hitchens' razor
Movement
atheism
Image
Christopher Hitchens crop.jpg
Work location
Washington, D.C.
Residence
Washington, D.C.
Show 12 more facts
Commons category
Christopher Hitchens
cause of death
bronchopneumonia
date of birth
1949-04-13
date of death
2011-12-15
topic's main category
Category:Christopher Hitchens
manner of death
natural causes
influenced by
Albert Camus
birth name
Christopher Eric Hitchens
writing language
English language
has written for
The Atlantic
nickname
Hitch
name in native language
Christopher Eric Hitchens
Sources (11)

via Wikidata · CC0

~37 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was a British and American author and journalist. Known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism (along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett), he gained prominence as a columnist and speaker. His epistemological razor, which states that "what can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence", is used in philosophy and law.

Hitchens was born and educated in Britain, graduating in 1970 from the University of Oxford with a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics. In the early 1980s, he emigrated to the United States and wrote for The Nation and Vanity Fair. Hitchens's political views evolved greatly throughout his life. Originally describing himself as a democratic socialist, he was a member of various socialist organisations in his early life, including the Trotskyist International Socialists.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Christopher Hitchens” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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via Wikidata sitelinks · CC0