The Interview

The Interview
Introduction
The Interview by Christopher Silvester is an excerpt taken from his
Penguin Book of interviews. In this, he talks about various opinions of
the celebrities regarding an interview; its functions, methods and
merits. It also consists of an excerpt from an interview with the
infamous writer Umberto Eco.
Summary
The lesson begins with the introduction to interview as a commonplace
of journalism since its invention, which was a little over 130 years ago.
According to the author, it is not very surprising that people have very
distinct opinions about the usage of interview. Some think of it in its
highest form whereas some people can’t stand being interviewed. An
interview leaves a lasting impression and according to an old saying,
when perceptions are made about a certain person, the original identity
of his soul gets stolen. Famous celebrities, writers and artists have been
heard criticising interviews. Rudyard Kipling’s wife wrote in her diary
how their day in Boston was ruined by two reporters. Kipling considers
interviewing an assault, a crime that should attract punishment. He
believes that a respectable man would never ask or give an interview.
There is an excerpt from the interview between Mukund (from The
Hindu newspaper) and Umberto Eco, a professor at the University of
Bologna in Italy who had already acquired a formidable reputation as
a scholar for his ideas on semiotics (the study of signs), literary
interpretation, and medieval aesthetics before he turned to writing
fiction. The interview revolves around the success of his novel, The
Name of the Rose whose more than ten million copies were sold in the
market. The interviewer begins by asking him how Umberto manages
to do so many different things to which he replies by saying that he is
doing the same thing. He further justifies and mentions that his books
about children talk about peace and non-violence which in the end,
reflect his interest in philosophy. Umberto identifies himself as an
academic scholar who attends academic conferences during the week
and writes novels on Sundays. It doesn’t bother him that he is identified
by others as a novelist and not a scholar, because he knows that it is
difficult to reach millions of people with scholarly work. He believes
there are empty spaces in one’s life, just like there are empty spaces in
atoms and the Universe. He calls them interstices and most of his
productive work is done during that time. Talking about his novel, he
mentions that it is not an easy-read. It has a detective aspect to it along
with metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Also, he believes that
had the novel been written ten years earlier or later, it would have not
seen such a huge success. Thus, the reason for its success still remains
a mystery.
Question and Answers
1. How does Eco find the time to write so much?
Answer. Eco is a university professor who attends academic
conferences all week. He finds so much time to write in the empty
spaces that we all have in our lives, just like the structure of atoms and
Universe. He terms these empty spaces as ‘interstices. If he is waiting
for someone coming to his house via the escalator, he would use that
time to write an essay rather than sit idle. Therefore, he considers
himself a scholar who writes novels on Sundays.
2. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?
Answer. Generally, academic scholars write false hypothesis, rectify
them and then give conclusions. On the other hand, Umberto takes the
readers through the journey of his research, quoting all the trials and
errors to reach the conclusion. His narrative style of writing made him
distinctive.
3. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic
scholar?
Answer. Umberto Eco identifies himself with the academic
community. According to him, he is a university professor who attends
academic conferences all week and writes novels on Sundays.
4. What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name
of the Rose?
Answer. The novel, The Name of the Rose is a hard-read,
differentiating it from other novels. It is a detective narrative that
contains metaphysics, theology and medieval history. Thus, it targeted
the audience that is not interested in an easy reading experience,
probably not all the time. However, the success of the novel still
remains a mystery. According to Umberto, had the novel been written
ten years earlier or later, it would have not attracted the same proportion
of the audience.

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