Hitch-22: a memoir

Over the last thirty years Christopher Hitchens has established himself as one of the world's most influential public intellectuals. His originality, bravery, range and wit made him first a leading iconoclast of the political left, and then later a formidable advocate of secular liberalism. As a socialist he opposed the war in Vietnam; after September 11 he emerged as one of the fiercest advocates of the war in Iraq.

In this long-awaited and candid memoir, Hitchens re-traces the footsteps of his life to date, from his childhood in Portsmouth with his adoring, tragic mother and reserved naval officer father, to his life in Washington DC, the base from which he would launch fierce attacks on tyranny of all kinds. Along the way he recalls the girls, the boys and the booze; the friendships and the feuds; the grand struggles and lost causes; and the mistakes and misgivings that have characterised his life.

Hitchens is, by turns, moving and funny, charming, irascible and inspiring. Agree or disagree, love him or hate him, readers of Hitch-22 have all agreed on one thing: they can't ignore him. This provocative memoir is an indispensable companion to the life and thought of an outstanding political writer.