To mark the death of Christopher Hitchens, here is a piece he wrote in June 1986 to commemorate the life of Jorge Luis Borges.
Jorge Luis Borges, Christopher Hitchens, The Spectator, 21 June 1986
Christopher Hitchens recalls a meeting with the Argentine poet, who died last Saturday
‘This is my country and it might be yet, But something came between us and the sun.’
As the old man threw off these lines, he turned his blind, smiling face to me and asked, ‘Do they still read much Edmund Blunden in England?’ I was unsure of what might give pleasure, but pretty certain in saying that Blunden was undergoing one of his eclipses. ‘What a shame,’ said Jorge Luis Borges, ‘but then you still have Chesterton. I used to live in Kensington, you know. What a writer. Such a pity he became a Catholic.’
The changes of pace in a conversation with Borges seemed alarming at the time, but in retrospect showed nothing but one’s own nervousness.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in