Author Hitchens Has Esophageal Cancer

British author and famous atheist Christopher Hitchens says he must undergo chemotherapy on his esophagus and has canceled some engagements. The 61-year-old Hitchens, whose most recent book, Hitch-22, is on Publishers Weekly's best-sellers list, posted a message on his publisher's website that he had been told by his doctor that he must undergo a course of chemotherapy.

The author, essayist, and columnist lives in Washington. He has written more than a dozen books and enjoyed surprising commercial success three years ago with God Is Not Great, a direct attack on religion. (More Christopher Hitchens stories.)