THE INTERVIEW
Ques: What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Answer: In the 130 years of its existence, the Interview has become an inherent part of
journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is considered to be an art, serving
as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s world we get to know “our
contemporaries” through their interviews
Ques: Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Answer: Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private lives.
They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in some
way ‘diminishes’ them, just like some ancient cultures believed that a portrait of a
person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V.S Naipaul have claimed that
interviews leave them wounded, while others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as
a crime and an immoral act.
Ques: What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Answer: Some primitive cultures believed that getting oneself photographed would rob
them of their souls.
Ques: What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?
Answer: “Thumbprints on his windpipe” means to choke or suffocate somebody by
applying pressure on his throat. Saul Bellow uses this expression to refer to the pressure
and discomfort felt by a celebrity while giving an interview.
Ques: Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about
personalities?
Answer: Interviews help us know our contemporaries and their opinions. They serve as
a means of communication between the celebrities and the audience. In this case, the
interviewer is endowed with a very special power and he becomes our chief source of
information about personalities.
Ques: Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your
opinion.
Answer: 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.
Ques: How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer: During the interview, Mukund Padmanabhan reiterates David Lodge’s
astonishment on Umberto Eco’s large amount of works and how he manages to write
them all. Eco replies that just like the universe has empty spaces, our lives too, have a lot
of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. Whenever he has a few moments to
spare in between two different tasks, instead of wasting them, he uses the time to write.
He even gives an example of his working technique. He says that while waiting for
someone to come up the elevator he keeps himself busy
Ques: What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer: Eco’s writing style is strikingly different from that of the standard academic
model. The academicians first make thorough research, then move on to prove their
hypotheses, and finally, give their conclusion on that subject. The final outcome,
therefore, comes out as tedious. Eco, on the other hand, tells the story of his research,
including his “trials and errors”. While scholars usually use a very depersonalized and
dull manner, Eco’s style is personalised and playful, and in the form of a narrative.
Ques: Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer: 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.
Ques: What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
Answer: Umberto Eco has rightly pointed out that the success behind The Name of the
Rose is a mystery. It is not possible to know the exact reason behind a book’s success or
failure; one can only make wild guesses. Perhaps the time in history when it was written
has proved favorable for its success. According to Mukund, the novel’s setting in the
medieval past might have contributed to its success. But many novels written about the
medieval past have failed to get as much success.