Jonathan Segura

My BEA Post-Mortem
June 4, 2007

How 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.
"That'd be him," I said.
"He looks bad. Worse than usual."
She, I soon learned, was from the Washington area and had seen him out and about many times, and so had a basis for comparison. All I had to go on was author promo shots, and in those the Hitch looks... like he did this morning. To Hitch's right sat Francine Prose, who appeared to be leaning away from the man from Washington. Then there was much talking. A few excerpts:

Francine Prose said The Historian was one of the worst books she's ever read.
NYTBR's Sam Tanenhaus said his publication "spared" many debut authors by not reviewing their works. General agreement among the panelists that young/debut authors shouldn't have their work murdered in print.
The Hitch quoted the Book of Job. ("Oh, that mine enemy would write a book.")

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."
"puerile, idiotic, wicked."
"Karen Armstrong wouldn't recognize a point if she sat on it."
"Insane Jews on the West Bank."
"Illiterate horseshit."

And then? Right. Parties.

Posted by Jonathan Segura on June 4, 2007 | Comments (4)