After he was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus in the spring of 2010, Christopher Hitchens wrote a series of essays for Vanity Fair about how best to answer the “Why me?” question, the relationship between sickness and religion, and cancer etiquette.

The series won an National Magazine Award in 2011.

An articulate polemic, his debate with Tony Blair, Is Religion a Force for Good in the World? is a magisterial demolishing of the Blair rhetoric with acerbic wit and tight logic. In his interview with Jeremy Paxman, he’s an exemplar of deft and accurate use of the English language.

I haven’t yet read his collected essays Arguably, published in October. I will.