Mortality

The starting point of Mortality was when Christopher Hitchens discovered that he was being deported "from the country of the well across the stark frontier that marks off the land of malady". This poignant observation marks the beginning of his battle with esophageal cancer, a struggle he documents with unsparing honesty over the last year of his life. Throughout this period, Hitchens underwent a brutal range of cancer treatments, enduring immense suffering and eventually losing his ability to speak.

Mortality serves as both a deeply personal account of Hitchens' illness and a powerful coda to a lifetime dedicated to passionate debate and unparalleled prose. Confronting his mortality head-on, Hitchens eloquently discusses his fear of losing the capacity to write, the joy of engaging in conversation, the excruciating experience of undergoing chemotherapy, and ponders on the very meaning of life itself.

In the pages of this final work, Hitchens is at his most lucid, seamlessly weaving together references to politics and literature with meticulous detail about his medical journey. He faces the process of a painful and premature death with stoic humour, a wry grin, and a poignant farewell to all that was captivating in his existence. His prose remains as sharp as ever, providing a candid and sometimes darkly humorous look at his own decline.

"Hitchens is at his lucid best, encyclopedic in his referencing of politics and literature while at the same time unstinting in his attention to medical detail. He faces the process of a painful and premature death with stoic good humour, a wry grin, and a wistful farewell to all that was wondrous in life." - The Adelaide Review

"A moving and deeply civilised work--the last meditations of a man who never stopped trying to think beyond cant and cliché, even in the direst of circumstances... Hitchens faced death the way he faced life: with wit, a hard head, a supreme talent for language and a bracing lack of fear. He reminds you that a writer armed with these resources can leave behind works as wise as many a holy text." - The Weekend Australian

"A remarkable conversation with death--and death always has the last word... He took the scenic route home and gave us a guided tour. Highly recommended." - South Coast Register

"Christopher Hitchens, finest orator of our time, fellow horseman, valiant fighter against all tyrants including God." - Richard Dawkins

Mortality is an unflinching, thought-provoking reflection on death and what it means to truly live. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the works of Hitchens, grappling with their own mortality, or seeking a brilliant and unvarnished perspective on life's ultimate journey.