THE INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS INTERVIEW
Ques1: 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.
Ques2: 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.
Ques3: 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.
Ques4: 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.
Ques5: 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
Ques6: 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 a
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 the scholars usually use a very depersonalized
and dull manner, Eco’s style is personalised and playful, and in
the form of a narrative.
Ques7: Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first
or an academic scholar?
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