THE INTERVIEW

-CHISTOPHER SYLVESTER
Summary
‘The Interview’, written by Christopher Sylvester throws light on various aspects of interview in the field of
journalism. Interviews, invented over 130 years ago, have become a commonplace in journalism. However,
opinions of interview- of its functions, methods and merits vary considerably. Part Il is an extract from an
interview of Umberto Eco, author of the popular novel, ‘Name of the Rose’ by Mukund Padmanabhan from ‘The
Hindu’. This interview helps us know many aspects of his writing style and ideas. Though he gives the impression of
doing many things at a time, he says he is doing the same thing, pursuing his philosophical interests through his
writings and his novels. Through his modest answers, he tells the secrets of his success. He utilizes the
‘Interstices’- empty spaces to his advantage.
PART I
• Interview has become a commonplace of journalism. Opinions on the functions, methods and merits
of Interview vary considerably.
• Some claim it to be in the highest form, a source of truth and in practice, an art.
• Some despise the interview as an unwarranted intrusion into people’s lives, which diminishes their
personality.
• S. Naipaul feels that ‘some people are wounded by interviews and lose a part ofthemselves.’
• Lewis Carroll never consented to be interviewed for he believed it to be ‘a just horror of the
interviewer’.
• Rudyard Kipling considered it ‘immoral, a crime, an assault that merits punishment’.
• H.G. Wells referred to interviewing as an ‘ordeal’.
• Saul Bellow describes it ‘like thumbprints on his windpipe’.
• Despite the drawbacks interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication. Interviews are
the most vivid impression of our contemporaries and the interviewer holds a position of
unprecedented power and influence.
PART II
• An extract from an interview of Umberto Eco interviewed by Mukund Padmanabhan.
• Umberto Eco was a professor with a formidable reputation as a scholar for his ideas on Semiotics,
literary interpretation and medieval aesthetics before he turned into writing literary fiction. He
attained intellectual superstardom with his publication “The Name of theRose”.
• In the interview Eco shares his idea of empty spaces in our lives just as they exist in an atom,which he
calls Interstices. He says that he makes use of these empty spaces to work.
• Eco’s essays were scholarly and narrative. He likes to be identified more as a university professor
who writes novels.
• Eco’s ‘The Name of the Rose’, a serious novel, which delves into metaphysics, theology andmedieval
history, enjoyed a mass audience. It dealt with medieval past. He feels that the novel wouldn’t have
been so well received had it been written ten years earlier or later.
Terms to Remember.
• VS Naipaul – “Wounded by interviews”
• Lewis Carroll – “Fear of the interviewer”
• Rudyard Kipling – “Hatred for interviewer/attack/assault/theft/indecent/punishable”
• H.G. Wells – “Ordeal/unpleasant experience”
• Soul Bellow – “Thumb prints on windpipe”
• Denis Brian – “Serviceable medium of communication between the celebrities and the ordinary
 people. Inspiration.”
Umberto Eco Vs Mukund Padmanabham
• Interstices/empty spaces
• Working in empty spaces of life
• Narrative style
• People get tired of easy books/reading and want to try difficult reading – Started writingnovels
“accidentally” – ‘Name of the Rose’ in America – unexpected sale.
EXTRACT BASED QUESTIONS
EXTRACT 1
May be I give the impression of doing many things. But in the end, I am convinced I am always doing the same
thing… And then I have a secret. Did you know what will happen if you eliminate the empty spaces from the
universe, eliminate the empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my fist. Similarly, we
have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I call them interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an
elevator and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an empty space. I work in empty
spaces.
1. Read the questions given below. Imagine they were interjections raised by the interviewer based on the
above extract. Choose the option that correctly describes the given questions.
(i) If you are “always doing the same thing”, isn’t your work lacking in originality?
(ii) Could you elaborate on these larger ethical, philosophical interests that inform your work?
(iii) All writing happens in empty spaces. In fact, why don’t I tell you all about my experiences?
a) (i) is not relevant; (ii) is appropriate; and (iii) is unnecessary
b) (i) is appropriate; (ii) is repetitive; and (iii) is useful information
c) (i) is inappropriate; (ii) is relevant; and (iii) is not relevant
d) (i) is unnecessary; (ii) is intrusive; and (iii) is extrapolatory
2. Based on your reading of Part II of ‘The Interview’, which one of the following may NOT be an appropriate
title to the above extract?
a) The Empty Spaces of Umberto Eco
b) Big Exposé: Eco’s Secret Revealed!
c) “I am always doing the same thing”: Eco’s Echoes
d) Umberto Eco, Mr. Prolific!
3. “I work in empty spaces”. Choose the option that most accurately captures Eco’s idea of empty spaces.
(i) management of time
(ii) organization of space
(iii) philosophical inclination
(iv) command of thought
a) Options (i) and (ii)
b) Options (iii) and (iv)
c) Options (i) and (iii)
d) Options (ii) and (iv)
4. What secret does Eco reveal in the above lines?
a) removing empty spaces will reduce the size of the globe.
b) Reducing the size of the globe will give one less time.
c) He works in empty spaces.
d) Empty spaces are called interstices.
5. How are interstices used by the author himself?
6. Give a synonym of ‘remove’ from the passage.
ANSWERS:
1. c) (i) is inappropriate; (ii) is relevant; and (iii) is not relevant
2. b) Big Exposé: Eco’s Secret Revealed!
3. c) Options (i) and (iii)
4. c) He works in empty spaces.
5. he used it constructively to do his writing work
6. eliminate
EXTRACT 2
Saul Bellow, who has consented to be interviewed on several occasions, nevertheless once described interviews
as being like thumbprints on his windpipe. Yet despite the drawbacks of the interview, it is a supremely serviceable
medium of communication. “These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our
contemporaries are through interviews,” Denis Brian has written. “Almost everything of moment reaches us
through one man asking questions of another. Because of this, the interviewer holds a position of unprecedented
power and influence.”
1. How would you describe Denis Brian’s opinion on interviews? Choose the most appropriate option.
(i) appeasing
(ii) utilitarian
(iii) approving
(iv) praising
a) Options (i) and (ii)
b) Options (iii) and (iv)
c) Options (ii) and (iii)
d) Options (i) and (iv)
2. According to Saul Bellow, interviews are like thumbprints on his windpipe. What emotion might best
describe such an image?
a) sadness
b) frustration
c) pain
d) fear
3. Denis Brian states that the interviewer occupies a position of power and influence as
a) everything reaches us through one man asking questions of another.
b) the interview is a supremely serviceable medium of communication.
c) our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews.
d) interviews are like thumbprints on the interviewee’s windpipe.
4. The use of the word “serviceable” implies that interviews are
a) significant.
b) powerful.
c) advanced.
d) useful.
5. State any one drawback of interview based on the text.
6. Give a synonym of ‘impact’ from the passage.
ANSWERS:
1. c) Options (ii) and (iii)
2. c) pain
3. a) everything reaches us through one man asking questions of another.
4. d) useful.
5. Interviewer can force his way into the private lives of the people
6. influence
EXTRACT 3
Rudyard Kipling expressed and even more condemnatory attitude towards the interviewer. His wife Caroline
writes in her diary for 14 October 1892 that their day was 'wrecked by two reporters from Boston'. She reports
her husband as saying to the reporters, " why do I refuse to be interviewed? Because it is immoral!! it is a crime
just as much of a crime as an offence against my person, as an assault and just as much merits punishment. It is
cowardly and vile. No respectable man would ask it, much less give it,”. Yet Kipling had himself perpetrated such
an ‘assault’ on Mark Twain only a few years before.
1. The meaning of the word ‘condemnatory’ is
a) appreciative
b) disapproving
c) harming
d) provoking
2. Why did Rudyard Kipling not like to be interviewed?
a) Journalists had spoilt his day
b) he considered it as a crime
c) he was a shy person
d) he was more comfortable in his own world
3. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
a) they don’t like the fraternity of journalists
b) they want to keep their privacy intact
c) criticism is hurled on them
d) none of the above.
4. What was Caroline’s view about being interviewed?
a) She thought it is immoral
b) She thought it is crime
c) She thought it deserves punishment
d) All of these
5. How do you come to know about Kipling’s wife’s perspective about being interviewed?
6. Give a synonym for the word ‘nasty’ from the above passage.
ANSWERS:
i) b) disapproving
ii) d) he was more comfortable in his own world
iii) b) they want to keep their privacy intact
iv) d) All of these
v) she gave it a mention in her diary
vi) vile
Short Answer Question
1. How can the importance of interview be justified in modern journalism?
Ans: The interview is the most serviceable medium of communication today. It has become a commonplace of
journalism. We can know about celebrities through interview.
2. What are some of the positive points about an interview?
Ans: It is supremely serviceable medium of communication. It provides a vivid impression of our
contemporaries. It equips one with the things related to life and progress.
3. ‘Umberto Eco's written output is staggeringly large and wide-ranging? How?
Ans: Umberto Eco is a versatile Genius, a prolific writer. He has written on wide ranging subjects such as literary
fiction, academic texts, essays children's books and newspaper articles. He has 5 novels and 40 non-fiction works
to his credit.
4. How has Umberto Eco become popular among the general public?
Ans: Umberto Eco's novels made him popular among the people in general. Ten to fifteen million copies of the
novel 'The Name of the Rose' were sold.
5. Why did the American publisher think that the novel 'The Name of the Rose' Won't sell well in America?
Ans: The novel 'The Name of the Rose' Dealt with a period of medieval history. The publisher did not expect very
good response in America because the Americans knew nothing about cathedral. People were ignorant about
the medieval past.
6. What are ‘Interstices’? How does Umberto Eco use them?
Ans. During the course of interview, Umberto Eco talks about ‘Interstices’ which actually means empty spaces.
He utilizes these in doing the creative work of writing. Citing an example, he tells his interviewer that while
waiting for his elevator to come up, he had already written an article.
7. What is the position of the interviewer during the interview?
Ans. According to Denis Brian, the interviewer holds a position of ‘unprecedented power and influence’. He holds
the balance between the audience and the man who is being interviewed. Almost everything of the celebrity
reaches us through one man asking questions to another.
8. ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a very ‘serious novel’. Yet it enjoyed a mass audience. Give reasons for its
popularity.
Ans. Umberto Eco’s famous novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a very ‘serious novel’ But it enjoyed a mass audience.
People like what is served to them. The novel’s setting in the medieval past might have also contributed to its
success. Its ‘timing’ was perfect. About 10 to 15 million copies of the novel were sold.
9. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.
Ans. Yes. Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He readily answers every question asked by
Mukund Padmanabhan in an energetic and lively manner. He does not seem apprehensive about sharing his
secrets, experiences and opinions with the interviewer, and consequently, the world. There is no indication
throughout the interview that he dislikes being interviewed.
10. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and then a novelist. He wrote more scholarly articles
as compared to novels; and he attended academic conferences and not meetings of Pen Clubs and writers.
According to him, he was a university professor who wrote novels on Sundays. “I started writing novels by
accident”, he said
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Why do some celebrities despise interview? Are they justified? Comment.
[Link] unwanted intrusion in their lives.
• According to Naipaul people are wounded and lose a part of them.
• Lewis Carol is horrified by the name of interviewer.
• Kipling terms it immoral, criminal.
 • H.G. Wells refers it as an ordeal.
To an extent justified - being victims, intrusion of private space
2. What are the opinions for and against interviews, as suggested in the lesson.
Ans:interview has come to be a common place of journalism.
• Thousands of celebrities have been interviewed and some repeatedly
• Some consider themselves victims of interview and despise them
• V S Naipul- some are wounded and lose a part of themselves
• Lewis Carrol- had a horror of the interviewer
• Rudyard Kipling- immoral and offense against the person
• Saul Bellow – thumbprints on his windpipe
• Despite these comments- interview is serviceable medium of communication
• Interviewer holds unprecedented power
3. After reading the interview, taken by Mukund Padmanabhan, what idea do you form of Umberto Eco and
his work?
Ans:He is a celebrity writer
• Innovative in his writing and has a unique style of his own
• Modest, candid and open
• Firm in his convictions
• Considers himself more an academic scholar than a novelist
• Has philosophical interest and pursues them through his academic work, novels and books on children
• ‘The Name of the Rose’- a great success
4. Part I of the chapter is an excerpt from the Penguin Book of Interviews. Do you think that the extract fails
to present a balanced perspective about Interviews? Elaborate.
Ans:Part I is quite interesting and informative
• Explains well the meaning of the term interview
• Extract depicts a clear picture of an interview
• Included viewpoints of various famous people and their experiences
• Extract imparts complete and accurate information about interview
• Includes various perspectives of variety of people
5. Give a character sketch of Umberto Eco on the basis of the lesson ‘The Interview’.
Ans: Umberto Eco, a university professor at the University of Bologna in Italy, is an academician and a famous
novelist. He, through various interviews, discloses his secret of success in life and never hates the interviewers.
He has his taste in various fields of writings as academic texts, fiction and non -fiction, literary fiction, essays,
children’s books, newspaper articles etc. He always wanted to be called as an academician not a novelist. He
used to participate in academic conferences; on the other hand, he avoided the meetings of writers and Pen Club
Members. He has written forty scholarly works and novels only five. He used to devote time for writing novels
on only ‘Sundays’. He discovered a magical trick of working in interstices. He used even the seconds of his time.
He captured the empty spaces for writing notes or any content. He had an expertise in ‘Semiotics’: the study of
signs. He never became a slave of pride as he openly admitted that his novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ got success
accidently and the time was in his favour. He didn’t have any attitude of a celebrity though his novel was bought
by more than 10 million readers.