# Christopher Hitchens has died. 1949-2011



## MiPiCubed (Dec 16, 2011)

RIP Hitch. I will miss you "Hitch slapping" ignorant fools. 
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/In-Memoriam-Christopher-Hitchens-19492011


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## Rob2109 (Dec 16, 2011)

Was disappointed to hear this too, loved him in debates telling *****s the exact reason why and how they were *****s. Saw a comment earlier today from a guy who used to research for him, Hitchens had a photographic memory and the researcher guy said it was the easiest job he ever had haha.


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## JasonK (Dec 16, 2011)




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## Stefan (Dec 16, 2011)

Rob2109 said:


> Hitchens had a photographic memory


 
Details and evidence?


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## Hershey (Dec 16, 2011)

Cheers to Hitch, we will carry on his work, he will live in our memory.


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## Mike Hughey (Dec 16, 2011)

Stefan said:


> Details and evidence?


 
I'm pretty sure the "details and evidence" consist of just the quote from the journalist:


> "Christopher Hitchens was everything a great essayist should be: infuriating, brilliant, highly provocative and yet intensely serious," said Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. "I worked as an intern for him years ago. My job was to fact check his articles. Since he had a photographic memory and an encyclopedic mind, it was the easiest job I've ever done."


It's not hard to find a source for that quote - it's all over everywhere because it's part of the stock obituary. Good luck finding the original source of the quote.

However, there is this quote, from http://www.vanmag.com/News_and_Features/City_Life/Man_vs_God:


> Asked if he has a photographic memory, he replies: "A retentive one, which has served me well-a good memory is one that forgets what doesn't need to be remembered." Does he recall much of what he's read? "I suppose so," he says, and at the mention of Evelyn Waugh a few minutes later he recites verbatim several hilarious paragraphs from Waugh's Fleet Street novel Scoop, to which he contributed the preface for a new Penguin edition.


So it doesn't look like he really claimed to have one.


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## Godmil (Dec 16, 2011)

Agh F###! 
I'm really upset about this, I had a great deal of respect for him and had just in the last few weeks been trying to find more stuff he's written. I hoped he had a few more years left


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## David Zemdegs (Dec 16, 2011)

We have lost one of the best journalists ever. His intellectual rigor was unparalleled.


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## Cube Equation (Dec 17, 2011)

And I only found out about him at school a few weeks ago...


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## Rob2109 (Dec 17, 2011)

> Details and evidence?



It was in a comments section of an article relating to his death. Would allegedly had a photographic memory make you happier Stefan?


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## Stefan (Dec 17, 2011)

Rob2109 said:


> Would allegedly had a photographic memory make you happier Stefan?



Yes. Just as useless, but at least meaningless and easily verifiable.


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## Nestor (Dec 17, 2011)

The news made me really sad yesterday. He was an intellectual giant and I agree with a griever who called him "the Socrates of 21st century".

The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is making a compilation of obituaries: link


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## drewsopchak (Dec 17, 2011)

Such an inspiration... all the hours I've spent listening and reading his logic and proficiency with the English language. He was never afraid to be a contrarian.


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## Louie (Dec 17, 2011)

I agree with Andrew above. He was a wizard with the English language. This makes me want to go to the reason rally even more. Anyone on here going?


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