Hitchens Biography Proceeds, Against His Widow’s Wishes - The New York Times

"We are aware that a self-appointed would-be biographer, one Stephen Phillips, is embarked on a book on Christopher," they wrote in an email, which The New York Times reviewed. "We read his proposal and are dismayed by the coarse and reductive approach. We have no confidence in this attempt at the man in full. We are not cooperating and we urge you to refuse all entreaties by Mr. Phillips or his publisher, W.W. Norton."

It is not uncommon for family members to feel protective of a loved one's memory, particularly when approached by a biographer. But circulating a letter encouraging others to rebuff the writer has struck some in literary and publishing circles as unusual, especially given Hitchens's confrontational stance on topics such as atheism, the Iraq war and whether women are funny.