The Hitchens Prize 2022 - Margaret Atwood

On March 31st, 2022, acclaimed author Margaret Atwood was awarded the Hitchens Prize, established in honor of the late journalist and essayist Christopher Hitchens. The ceremony was held, as in years past, at the Waverly Inn in New York City.

Foundation President Dennis Ross opened the night by reflecting on the recent tenth anniversary of the death of Christopher Hitchens, and on the power and relevance of his legacy of thought and criticism. Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic and Prize selection committee member, also spoke on Hitchens’ considerable achievements and impact. Both echoed the sentiment that Ms. Atwood’s lifetime of influential work and principled refusal to bend to expected political norms and pieties made her a fitting choice for this year’s Prize.

Ms. Atwood’s wide-ranging speech—republished in The Atlantic as Your Feelings are No Excuse—explores the role of the artist and thinker in contemporary society, the pitfalls of attempting to avoid giving offense to specific groups or ideologies, and the potential dangers faced by liberal democracies in the future.

“Hitch and I were both of an archaic generation that endorsed the basic principles of logic,” she says. “We both believed in a healthy society’s need for public debate, with testable evidence presented.” She concludes with this advice: “Our times are desperate…Don’t panic. Think carefully. Write clearly. Act in good faith. Repeat.”

Video of the speech can be viewed on the Foundation’s Youtube page.