The Iron Lady's Sex Appeal (a "lost" Christopher Hitchens essay)

[Amerigo Vespucci]

NOTE: The INTRO for this piece is four paragraphs long, so if you want to read the actual Christopher Hitchens piece, you'll need to go to the link below and scroll past the intro.

Christopher Hitchens

The late journalist, author, essayist.

The Iron Lady's Sex Appeal

Posted: 1/12/12 04:02 PM ET

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-hitchens/margaret-thatcher-iron-lady_b_1199269.html

In the preemie days of the Internet, I edited a (now defunct) Washington publication called The Women's Quarterly, published by The Independent Women's Forum. One of our regular features (if being published in a "quarterly" can be called regular by today's standards) was a column called "The Token Man," written by a different male contributor each issue.

For our Autumn, 1997 edition, I asked Christopher Hitchens and David Brooks to debate the question: "Who Are More Attractive: Left-Wing Women or Right-Wing Women?" Brooks, then writing for The Weekly Standard among other conservative publications, argued the case for left-wing women; Hitchens, at that time a columnist for The Nation, revealed his penchant for right-wing women.

At the summit of his lust was then-British PM Margaret Thatcher (whom he met, and in which he reveals here the amazing story of that encounter). The essay never appeared online because of the technological limitations of the time. Until now, this brilliant, perfect jewel of an essay on politics and sexuality has languished in a filing cabinet in my basement--like some forgotten, tossed off sketch by a master--along with other past issues of the Quarterly.

I was reminded of its existence by the release this week of "Iron Lady" -- a movie that might have pleased Christopher for bringing belated appreciation of Thatcher's dominatrix charms to a mass audience (certainly one larger than that of the Quarterly). Thus I am delighted to present, for the exclusive pleasure of the readers of Huffpost (to which Christopher was an occasional contributor), this lost article by the lately-lost great writer -- and friend. I think he would be happy to see it published again. At the time I paid Christopher $250 for it. I'm thinking I could get somewhat more for it today on eBay...

~ Danielle Crittenden, Managing Editor of Blogs, Huffingtonpost.ca.

[roguevalley]

1. during victorian times

Spanking porn was pervasive in England. It doesn't surprise me that he feels this way. Explains a lot.

[bemildred]

2. Does.

(explain a lot.)

I had not read Mr Hitchens much until lately, when I read his last book of essays, and he did come across slightly wonky to me. But this puts him more firmly in place with his fellow British writers, or at least a fair number of them.

I found him quite a good read, by turns engaging and annoying., and always very literate and well-informed.

[snagglepuss]

3. to read later