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b'In this historic event, Stephen Fry and other friends of Christopher Hitchens came together to celebrate the life and work of this great writer, iconoclast and debater. Fry was joined on stage by Richard Dawkins and the two discussed Hitch\\u2019s unflinching commitment to the truth. Hollywood actor Sean Penn was beamed in from LA and, between cigarette puffs, read from Hitch\\u2019s acclaimed work, The Trial of Henry Kissinger. Five friends of Hitch spoke via satellite in New York: satirist Christopher Buckley and editor Lewis Lapham mused on Hitch\\u2019s prowess as a journalist. \\u2018Like a pot of gold\\u2019, said Lapham. Martin Amis, Salman Rushdie and James Fenton delighted the audience with stories of Hitchens as a young man. Rushdie drew roars of laughter when he recounted a word game invented by Amis and Hitchens where the word \\u2018love\\u2019 is replaced with \\u2018hysterical sex\\u2019. Particular favourites included Hysterical Sex in the Time of Cholera and Hysterical Sex Is All You Need.\\nWatching the event with Hitch at his bedside in Texas, Hitch\\u2019s wife Carol and novelist Ian McEwan provided commentary. \\u2018His Rolls Royce mind is still purring beautifully\\u2019, typed McEwan.\\nThe event originally took place on the 11th November 2011 at The Southbank Centre\\u2019s Royal Festival Hall and was watched live by 2500 at the venue, and by thousands more in UK cinemas and online. It was produced by Executive Producer Hannah Kaye\\n\\u2014\\nWe\\u2019d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us at @intelligence2.\\xa0\\nAt Intelligence Squared we\\u2019ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we\\u2019d love you to give it a go. It\\u2019s packed with more than 20 years\\u2019 worth of video debates and conversations on the world\\u2019s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices'