Christopher Hitchens
A remarkable man with an endearing habit - he would 'spit in the eye' of hypocrisy at every opportunity that came his way - without living in fear of the consequences.
I read his autobiography recently - 'Hitch 22: A Memoir' - which was a hugely enjoyable read and two things stood out to me.
While his mother was loving and affectionate, Hitchen's his father was distant and remote - not absent in the modern sense just unable to to connect emotionally with his son - like so many men of his generation.
The second thing that left its mark on Hitchens - to my mind anyway - was his classic English education which taught him how to think critically - and inspired his great love affair with the English language.
Even his worst enemy - and he had many - would concede that he wrote in beautiful prose which is a joy to read - for its eloquence, power and humanity.
Hitchens was also a great debater and campaigner - taking aim at the great and the good, yet always in an engaging way - his wonderful barbs were never delivered with anything other than impeccable manners.
In later life Hitchens shocked many of his friends on the 'left' of politics - with whom he had been a fellow traveller for years.
An arch-critic of the forces of conservatism all his life - Hitchens stood up and spoke out over the attack on America on 9/11 - which led to him becoming an American citizen in his adopted homeland.
Hitchens refused to go along with the lazy arguments of his contemporaries who said that America had brought this all on itself - that religious fundamentalists and suicide killers were justified in their actions - in America and elsewhere - as if embarked on some kind of noble, emancipating project.
He spat in their eye - eloquently and often - which upset them no end.
But to my mind he was completely right - because sometimes in life things come down to two competing arguments or philosophies - and sometimes good people have to choose.
I imagine there will be various tributes to Christopher Hitchens over the weekend - and rightly so.
If you get the chance, do yourself a favour and watch one of his TV interviews - or read one of his books.
The world has lost a true champion of freedom of speech - delivered with passion, charm and ferocious intelligence.
But the thing is he will have inspired many others to take up the same challenge - in their own way and their own time - and that is his real legacy.
