Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography

Thomas Paine's Rights of Man: A Biography
Christopher Hitchens
Atlantic Books

158 pages
June 2006

Lately, I can't seem to get into anything that isn't grounded in reality to a certain extent. I'm lucky enough to get nice, shiny books which are in my favourite genre, and I do you (and the lovely publishers and authors) the disservice of not reading them, let alone reviewing them! Forgive me. No matter how much I try to partake of stories that are normally my cup of tea, I find myself flagging halfway through, and the book eventually discarded. I'm sure it will pick up after Christmas, but for now I'm not fighting it and reading more non-fiction than I have at any other time...

I decided, instead, that I would review this book for you, because it really is very good, and important, and also a sign that sometimes fact truly is stranger than fiction...

As a Thomas Paine biography, I can't say it really brings that much new to the table, save that is has Hitchens' trademark wit and eloquence, as well as showcasing some of his very wide reading, and that's worth a lot. I've discovered another favourite poem through this essay, and that's not something I expected!

As Hitchens points out, when talking about young Tom Paine's attempts to follow the time immemorial tradition of running away to sea: "Later writers of stirring fiction for boys might have hesitated to invent a ship called The Terrible, commanded by a certain Captain Death, but such was the vessel, and such the master and commander, that might have carried this particular boy out of history". And what a shame that would have been. A sometime corset-maker and lay-preacher, Thomas Paine became one of the most important men of his time, having a key part in both the French and American revolutions, mainly as a writer, but also as a speaker and leader.

He is, of course, most famous for his book, The Rights of Man, written in 1791, as a riposte to Edmund Burke, in which he defends the inalienable rights of man and the fundamental principles of democracy. He suggested a written Constitution composed by a national assembly, in the new American mould; the elimination of aristocratic titles, because democracy is incompatible with primogeniture, which leads to the despotism of the family; and much more. Was this popular in monarchic England at the time, when the King was the Law? Nope.

As a result of his writings, he ended up at various points imprisoned and made a pariah of. He was sentenced to death during The Terror, following the French Revolution (despite Paine being a Revolutionary himself, and an honoured guest...), and just managed to escape because of an inept prison guard, fleeing to the home of a future United States president. Paine was, in fact, the first to use that phrase: the United States of America.

While he is still remembered to some extent, and his books widely read, I feel sad that such a seminal figure in two important and necessary revolutions, revolutions that have made the world what it is to today, is not quite as well known as he should be. Although a short introduction, it is extremely readable, and Christopher Hitchens, a wonderful writer, whether you agree with his conclusions or not, has written a particularly good book in his biography of Thomas Paine's Rights of Man. I'd recommend it.

For more information:

Amazon UK
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