The Interview

NCERT Solutions
Think-as-you-read Questions

Question 1.
What are some of the positive views on interviews?
Answer:
The positive views on interviews are that it is a medium of communication and a
source of truth and information. Some even look at it as an art. These days we
know about the celebrities and others through their interviews.

Question 2.
Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Answer:
Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed because they look at interviews
as an unwarranted intrusion into their lives. They feel that it diminishes them.
They feel that they are wounded by interviews and lose a part of themselves.
They consider interviews immoral and a crime, and an unwanted and unwelcome
interruption in their personal life.

Question 3.
What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?
Answer:
Some primitive cultures consider taking a photographic portrait is like stealing the
person’s soul and diminishing him.

Question 4.
What do you understand by the expression ‘thumbprints on his windpipe’?
Answer:
Saul Bellow once described interviews as being like ‘thumbprints on his
windpipe’. It means he treated interviews as a painful experience, as something
that caught him by his windpipe, squeezed him and left indelible thumbprints on
that. It also means that when the interviewer forces personal details from his
interviewee, it becomes undesirable and cruel.

Question 5.
Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?
Answer:
The interviewer is the chief source of information in today’s world. Our most vivid
impressions of our contemporaries are based on communication that comes from
them. Thus, interviewers hold a position of power and influence.

Understanding the text

Question 1.
Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your
opinion.
Answer:
Umberto Eco does not think highly of interviewers who he thinks are a puzzled
bunch of people. He has reasons for thinking so as they have often interpreted
him as a novelist and clubbed him with Pen Clubs and writers, while he considers
himself an academic scholar who attends academic conferences and writes
novels on Sundays.

Question 2.
How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer:
Eco humorously states that there are a lot of empty spaces in his life. He calls
them ‘interstices. There are moments when one is waiting for the other. In that
empty space, Eco laughingly states that he writes an article. Then he states that
he is a professor who writes novels on Sundays.

Question 3.
What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer:
Umberto’s writings have an ethical and philosophical element underlying them.
His non-fictional writing work has a certain playful and personal quality about it.
Even his writings for children deal with non-violence and peace. This style of
writing makes reading his novels and essays interesting and being like the
reading of most academic writings. His works are marked by an informal and
narrative aspect.

Question 4.
Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?
Answer:
Umberto identified himself with the academic community, a professor who
attended academic conferences rather than meetings of Pen Clubs. In fact, he
was quite unhappy that the people referred to him as a novelist.

Question 5.
What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?
Answer:
The success of The Name of the Rose, though a mystery to the author himself,
could possibly be because it offered a difficult reading experience to the kind of
readers who do not want easy reading experiences and those who look at novels
as a machine for generating interpretations. For the same reason, the sale of his
novel was underestimated by his American publishers, while the readers actually
enjoyed the difficult reading experience that was offered by Umberto Eco by
raising questions about truth and the order of the world.

Extra Questions and Answers

Short Answer Type

Question 1.
What does the author say about the interview?
Answer:
The author believes that the interview has become commonplace of
journalism. Our lives have become complicated as we have to face and pass
through this vile process of screening and interaction. Many celebrities had to
be interviewed daily and many of them may have to pass from it a number of
times. But it is piercing, troublesome and peace-disturbing as it is the wearer
who realises where the shoe pinches.

Question 2.
Write down the opinions that disfavour the cause of the interview.
Answer:
Regarding the conduction of an interview, some believe that in its highest
forms, the interview is a valuable source of truth. In practice, it is nothing but a
simple art. It is like stealing one’s soul. People hate the interview and call it as
an unwarranted intrusion into their lives.

Question 3.
How does V.S. Naipaul feel about interview?
Answer:
V.S. Naipaul vehemently condemns the cause of the interview. He believes
that it is more than losing something from our body. He says that through
interviews many would lose a part of our self. In reality, it is horrific for the
interviewing candidate. This is the cause why people refuse to give their
consent for an interview.

Question 4.
What do Rudyard Kipling and his wife comment about the interview?
Answer:
Rudyard Kipling is a man of free and frank nature. He is more condemnatory
for the attitude of the interviewer. His wife Caroline calls it immoral, crime, an
assault and it merits punishment. It is both cowardly and vile. She believes
that a respectable person will never ask for an interview.

Question 5.
How do the other authors opine about the interview?
Answer:
Many authors do not favour the interview. [Link] in an interview in 1894
referred to “the interviewing ordeal”. But he remained a frequent interviewee.
Saul Bellow once agreed for an interview but he regarded it as being like
thumb prints on his windpipe.

Question 6.
Umberto Eco says: “I am always doing the same thing but that is more difficult
to explain.” Why does he say so?
Answer:
Umberto Eco feels elevated on calling him a professor. People think that he is
doing many things but he concludes of doing himself the same thing. It is
because that Umberto Eco had some philosophical interest which he followed
in his novels and other academic work. His children books are based on
peace and non-violence. There is a touch of philosophical and ethical interest
as well.

Question 7.
What secret does Umberto Eco point out to Mukund Padmanabhan about an
interview?
Answer:
Umberto Eco points out towards empty space in this universe. According to
him if the empty space is eliminated from the universe, and as well as from
the atoms, this universe will turn as big as our fist. In the same way, our lives
are full of empty spaces. Umberto Eco calls them interstices. Eco says: “
Suppose you are coming over to my place on the third floor. You are in an
elevator from the first to third floor and I am waiting for you. This is an
interstice.”

Question 8.
How does Umberto Eco explain his capacity of doing so much work? What
are ‘interstices’ and how does Eco use them?
Answer:
Umberto tells the secret pf his working style. People have a lot of empty
spaces in their lives. He calls them ‘interstices’ or ‘intervals’. He utilises and
makes use of them. This is the secret of his success. He tells his interviewer
that while he was waiting for his elevator to come up, he has already written
an article.

Question 9.
Describe the distinct style of ‘The Name of the Rose’.
Answer:
‘The Name of the Rose’ is the most popular and respected novel of Umberto
Eco. It is a very serious novel. At one level, it appears to be a detective yarn.
But it also delves into metaphysics, theology and medieval history. It is for
those readers who don’t want easy experiences. But still it has a tremendous
mass appeal.

Question 10.
Justify the title ‘The Interview’.
Answer:
The title of the excerpt is quite logical and apt. Umberto Eco likes to be
interviewed. He cooperates fully with the interviewer, Mukund. He prefers
himself to be called an academician than a novelist. He tells him that he
started writing novel at the age of 50 just by accident. He wrote 40 non-
fictional writings against 5 novels. He thinks himself a professor who writes
novels on Sundays.

Question 11.
Why did Umberto Eco start writing novels at the age of 50, more or less?
Answer:
Umberto Eco was basically an academician. He was pursuing scholarly
pursuits through academic writings. He wrote about forty non-fictional writings.
He himself says that ‘he became a novelist by accident’. Perhaps that was the
reason he started writing novels so late – at the age of 50, more or less.

Question 12.
“In spite of the ‘drawbacks’ the interview is a ‘supremely serviceable medium
of communication’. Justify the statement.
Answer:
Many celebrities consider the interview ‘an unwarranted intrusion’ in their
lives. But it has become a commonplace feature of journalism. It is a great
serviceable medium of communication. We get the most vivid impressions of
our contemporaries only through interviews. Everything reaches us in the
simplest and true form when one asks questions of another.

Question 13.
How is Umberto Eco’s non-fictional writing a departure from his regular style?
Answer:
Umberto Eco’s non-fictional writing is a departure from his regular style. It has
a ‘certain
playful and personal quality about it.’ His regular academic style is
‘depersonalized and boring’. Like other scholars Eco doesn’t make false
hypotheses. On the contrary he tells the story of his research including his
‘trials and errors’.

Question 14.
‘The Name of the Rose’ is a very ‘serious novel’. Yet it enjoyed a mass
audience. Give reasons for its popularity.
Answer:
Umberto Eco’s famous novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ is a very ‘serious novel’
But it enjoyed a mass audience. The interviewer wants to know the reason of
its huge success. Even journalists and publishers are puzzled. People like
what is served to them. If they are given to read even serious novels, they will
read them. They accepted and digested a serious novel like ‘The Name of the
Rose’. Its ‘timing’ was perfect. About 10 to 15 million copies of the novel were
sold.

Question 15.
What is the position of the interviewer during the interview?
Answer:
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 of another.

Question 16.
Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give a reasoned answer.
Answer:
Yes, Umberto Eco likes being interviewed. Throughout the interview, he
remains cool and composed. He answers Makund’s questions and queries
very patiently. He seems to be relaxed and tries to make Mukund quite
comfortable. There is no trace of any impatience or irritation visible during the
interview.
The Interview Extra Questions and Answers Long
Answer Type
Question 1.
Explain the word Interview and how do many writers find favour with it.
Answer:
The word ‘interview’ is derived from French derivative word “entrevue”. It is a
conversation between a journalist or broadcaster and a person of public
interest. It is an oral examination of an applicant for a job through the process
of formal questioning. Since the word has wider implications, it duly involves
screening, interaction and introspection. During the process, both the
interviewer and the interviewee, participate and the interviewee has to face
the horror of the interviewer.

The word interview was inserted 130 years ago. Since then, it became a
commonplace in journalism. In this world, all have to undergo through the
process of the interview. Thousands of people are interviewed daily for one or
the other kind. Depending on the merit of the interview, people have claimed
in its highest form as a source of truth and in its practice, it is an art. H.G.
Wells remained averse to ‘interview’ and in 1894 he referred to it as an ordeal.
But forty years later he himself was found interviewing Joseph Stalin of
Russia. People view that almost everything reaches us through asking the
interviewer who holds a position of unprecedent power and influence.

Question 2.
What does Umberto Eco point out about himself and his novel, “The Name of
the Rose”?
Answer:
In an interview with Mukund, Umberto Eco points out that he regards himself a
University Professor rather than a novelist. Uikewise, he readily went in
academic conferences but did not go to meetings of Pen Clubs and the
writers. He links himself with the academic community. He is a professor who
writes novels on Sundays. Even people have the impression that Umberto
Eco is doing many things.

Here Eco tells that his work includes philosophical interest and in his novels
for children one can find non¬violence and peace. He says that the universe
has empty spaces and these are eliminated in all the atoms. The universe will
become as big as the fist of a man. He regards these empty spaces as
interstices and he works in them.
For his writing, Umberto Eco adopts informal approach. He departs from a
regular academic style and his essays follow a narrative aspect, which was
the crowning success for his novel The Name of the Rose. It attracted a mass
audience. His novels are full of narration. Side by side his novel has
metaphysics, theology and medieval history as well. It has other experiences
too.

Question 3.
How does Umberto Eco pursue his philosophical and academic interests?
How does he make use of ‘interstices’? How has he developed a non-fictional
style?
Answer:
Umberto Eco has many philosophical interests. He pursues them through his
academic works and novels. Even his children’ works are about non-violence
and peace. They are the same bunch of ethical and philosophical interests.
Eco wrote more than 40 scholarly works on non-fiction. Eco considers himself
‘a university professor who writes novels (only) on Sundays’. He prefers to be
called an academician.

Umberto shares a secret with the interviewer. He thinks that if we eliminate

the empty spaces from the universe, the world will shrink. It will become as big
as a fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces or ‘interstices’ in our lives.
He works in these spaces and uses them to his advantage.

Umberto Eco has evolved a distinct non-fictional style. His scholarly works
have a certain playful and personal quality about them. It is different from his
regular style which is ‘depersonalised and often dry and boring’. He is different
from other scholars. Eco tells the story of his research. Even he includes his
‘trials and errors’. His essays always have a narrative aspect. This narrative
style of his scholarly works was fully developed later on in his novels.

Question 4.
Several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years, some of
them repeatedly.’ But still many of them ‘despise the interview as an
unwarranted intrusion in their lives’. Describe opinions for and against the
interview as mentioned in the lesson.
Answer:
The interview has become an indispensable feature of journalism today.
Several thousand celebrities have been interviewed over the years. Some of
them have been interviewed repeatedly. Opinions vary. Some consider it a
source of truth. Some call it a great art. It is the most effective and powerful
medium of knowing important persons or celebrities.

Usually, celebrities despise being interviewed. They consider it as an

‘unwarranted intrusion’ into their lives. They somehow feel that it diminishes
them. Naipaul feels that people are ‘wounded by interviews. They lose a part
of themselves. Lewis Carrol never consented to be interviewed. Rudyard
Kipling considered it immortal and an offence against his person. H.G. Wells
interviewed Joseph Stalin.

But he also considered it as ‘an ordeal’. Saul Bellow considered interviews as

‘thumbprints on his windpipe’. In spite of some of these drawbacks, the
interview remains ‘a supremely serviceable medium of communication’.
Because of this, the interview holds a position of great power and influence.

Question 5.
What picture do you form of Umberto Eco after reading the extract of the
interview of Eco that was taken by Mukund Padmanabhan?
Answer:
‘The Interview’ is an extract from an interview of Umberto Eco. The interviewer
Padmanabhan helps us know many aspects of his writings, style and ideas.
He emerges as a many-sided genius. Even the novelist David Lodge can’t
understand how Umberto Eco can do all things he does. Eco answers it very
modestly.

He only gives the impression of doing many things. Actually, he is doing the
same thing. He pursues his philosophical interests through his academic
writings and novels. Eco himself tells the secret of his success. He feels there
a lot of empty spaces in our lives. He calls them ‘interstices. He works in these
empty spaces. He utilizes them to his advantage.

Umberto Eco prefers himself to be called an academician rather than a

novelist. He wrote more than 40 philosophical writings against just five novels.
He started writing novels just by accident and that too at a late age of 50.
Modesty and honesty are the signs of a great writer like Eco. Mukund
Padmanabhan asks the reason behind the huge success of ‘The Name of the
Rose’. Umberto honestly replies that the success of this novel is a mystery
even to him. Perhaps, he wrote it at an appropriate time. Had it been written
10 years before or after, perhaps it wouldn’t have been such a huge success.