Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Christopher Hitchens' 6 best books

Christopher Hitchens is a critic, journalist, and author of the new memoir, Hitch-22.

He named six books that helped shaped his memoir for The Week magazine. One title on the list:
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Can “holy writ” be used for literary purposes? This brilliant novel, with its deft and sinuous discussions of Koranic text (and its satire on British society), answers yes. The Satanic Verses began a great battle between the ironic mind and the literal mind that is still going on.
Read about the other books on Hitchens' list.

The Satanic Verses is one of Atul Gawande's favorite books, one of Karl O. Knausgaard's top ten angel books, and one of Diarmaid MacCulloch's five best books about blasphemy.

--Marshal Zeringue