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My BEA Post-MortemJune 4, 2007How many of these can you take? As the Ethics in Book Reviewing panelists took the stage, the woman standing next to me tapped my shoulder and said, "Is that Hitchens?" She indicated the guy on the far left, the one looking haggard and drinking from a large bottle of water. This was Friday at 11:30 a.m. Francine Prose said The Historian was one of the worst books she's ever read. And then it was off to walk the floor, where many people were wearing seersucker, frequently with black shoes. Near the Penguin booth (or, perhaps more accurately, zone), some guy was trying to hug people. People, meanwhile, were trying not to get hugged. Out on 11th Avenue, the smoking crowd contended with wretched heat, the "Free books from Wowio" segway scooter brigade and a small band of lunatics from West Virginia hawking shirts and bad art zines to fund their commune. (Their revolution will win, I was assured.) Then I left and went to some parties. Then I came back on Saturday, feeling rather tired. Arrived early to the noon Hitchens interview and heard a few audience members asking around if this was the Hitchings thing. This is also where The Hitch quoted from memory a lengthy Karl Marx quote, declared civilization to be in its death throes and said of belivers: "I hate them and I want there to be a war against them." Afterward, he was descended upon and left with a few books that he just has to read. When he got into his cab, he still had possession of the books--minus one that his publicist now clutched. "Anything good?" I asked. It did not appear to be so. Back on the floor, the guy giving out hugs was not in evidence, though a woman dressed ill-advisedly in a yellow star outfit greeted many people in a grating falsetto and somehow managed not to be escorted out by security. I felt bad for the guy who had to walk around doing a Borat impersonation. The general aroma took a turn for the fetid (thousands of sweaty people in one big room does not a pleasant smell make) and I retired briefly to a spot upstairs near the beer vendor. Later that afternoon, Sarah Crichton moderated a panel on atheism, "the hottest new trend in publishing." Hitch again present, though much of his commentary was recycled from the earlier interview. Some complete and some incomplete quotes from the notebook: "If I can't be erect, at least I like to be upright." And then? Right. Parties. Posted by Jonathan Segura on June 4, 2007 | Comments (4)
June 4, 2007
In response to: My BEA Post-Mortem Kevin I. Slaughter commented: I was hoping to find a photo of the event, as there was a PW photographer there, and I was on the front row.
June 4, 2007
In response to: My BEA Post-Mortem Mick commented: I saw the Hugger; I wondered what he was promoting, but I was afraid to look closely enough to find out. My friend Will once gave me some advice that supposedly works equally well for grizzly bears and strippers in gay bars: if you don't make eye contact, they won't bother you. I don't know about grizzly bears, and I never seem to be in the mood to test it out in gay bars, but I can attest that it worked for the Hugger.
June 5, 2007
In response to: My BEA Post-Mortem Kevin A. Lewis commented: Hitch seems to have taken W.C. Fields famous maxim about a man needing to believe in something rather to heart, hasn't he? Maybe fellow atheist Dick Cheney will finally stand up and be counted after all this, although I understand Ann Coulter's counterblast to all this non-belief "I'll Get You, My Pretty, & Your Little Dog, Too!" is going to press as we speak... (Or was that her presidential campaign slogan?)
September 2, 2007
In response to: My BEA Post-Mortem kozel commented: my name is kozel! are you?
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