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ABC replays Jennifer Byrne Presents: Christopher Hitchens

In tribute to author and journalist Christopher Hitchens, ABC1 will screen his 2010 interview with Jennifer Byrne.

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In 2010 Jennifer Byrne chatted with the #1 New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist, Christopher Hitchens.

Hitchens died last week, so ABC1 will replay the interview tonight.

Over the last thirty years Christopher Hitchens 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 war in Iraq.

In this special, Jennifer discusses Hitchens candid memoir, Hitch 22, in which he 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, boys and booze; the friendships and the feuds; the grand struggles and lost causes; and the mistakes and misgivings that have characterised his life.

Christopher Hitchens, ‘one of the most prolific, as well as brilliant, journalists of our time’ (Observer), was a widely published polemicist and frequent radio and TV commentator. He was a contributing editor to Vanity Fair and a visiting professor of liberal studies at the New School in New York. His numerous books include; God is Not Great, Orwell’s Victory, Letters to a Young Contrarian, The Trial of Henry Kissinger and Hitch 22.

10:45pm Tuesday ABC1.

3 Responses

  1. I didn’t catch this show in 2010 but I was shocked with Jennifer’s total rejection of Chris’s personal philosphy for his wife to stay at home after child birth despite , as he pointed out, that she could work if she wanted to. Later, Jennifer added to it by challenging his belief and ridiculing him for verbalising the special bond of a new born’s and their feeding mothers. theman was clearly moved by this subjected viewpoint evidenced by him wanting to leave the set before the credits flowed at the conclusion of the show

    Yes men do take a greater role today in all aspects of child rearing but there are periods of exculsivity bertween mother and child.
    I couldn’t wait to part of my daughter’s life but it came , as Chris pointed, three after the birth when the focus of the child moved away to other stimulus as their trust and needes developed. But in saying this I did bath and change nappies and got up to her at night to help my wife as much as I could but I realised that sacrosanct position of our child’s mother over me initially.
    Working in a predominately female profession, I have championed new mellenium femimism has it grown since the 70’s to be more inclusive and to be accepting of biological necessities without feelings of domination.

  2. Jennifer makes a big blunder in this interview by implying Christopher wants all women to stay at home, when in fact, he was talking about his own wife only. It made me very angry indeed.

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