In Memoriam. Christopher Hitchens

My one biggest regret in relation to Christopher Hitchens is that I only became familiar with his writing and polemics so late in life, a little more than a decade ago. I'm still catching up.

The man was a lion. He will be remembered for his principled defense of human freedom in the face of villains, theocrats and self-righteous moral pygmies.

From his memoriam in Vanity Fair:

Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. His matchless prose has appeared in Vanity Fair since 1992, when he was named contributing editor.