THE INTERVIEW

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christopher Silvester (1959) was a student of history at Peterhouse, Cambridge. He was a reporter for Private Eye for
ten years and has written features for Vanity Fair. Following is an excerpt taken from his introduction to the Penguin
Book of Interviews, An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day.

THEMES

The Interview as an Art and Craft: Interviews require skilful preparation, tact, and an understanding of human
psychology. The text showcases how skilled interviewers can reveal deeper insights into their subjects’ personalities
and thoughts.

Power Dynamics in Interviews: The text delves into the power struggle between the interviewer and the
interviewee. Interviewers often have control over how information is presented, which can impact how public figures
are perceived.

Impact of Interviews on Privacy: The story raises questions about the ethics of interviews, particularly regarding the
intrusion into individuals' personal lives. Celebrities and public figures often have limited privacy due to the public’s
demand for personal details.

MIND MAP

Overview Key Personalities Mentioned Important Takeaways

i. Written by Christopher Silvester Umberto Eco-Eco is sceptical of Interviews can both inform and
ii. Explores the role, ethics, and interviews, often finding them manipulate
impact of interviews in modern intrusive but necessary in a media- Balance between curiosity and
society driven society. respect for privacy
iii. Focus on journalism, privacy, and Mukund Padmanabhan- Indian Challenges of representing truth in
celebrity culture journalist and interviewer in this journalism
chapter, who converses with
Umberto Eco.
Lewis Carroll
Rudyard Kipling- echoes the
chapter’s theme of ethical
boundaries in journalism.
H.G. Wells- Wells was known for
being wary of interviews, feeling
that journalists sometimes twist
words and meanings.

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS

1. Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.

Ans. Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He felt just at ease with the interviewer and
answered all the questions fully and patiently without showing any hurry. He stated his achievement in a very modest
manner and explained his philosophical views and interest clearly. He let the interviewer enter the secret about his
craft with a loud laugh. Also, he elaborated his approach which was unique. He was mannerly, warm and properly
responsive as well.

2. How does Eco find the time to write so much?

Ans. There are two factors that explain how Eco was able to write so much. In his own words, the life of every person
has empty spaces- periods with no important jobs. He says that he did most of his writing during these free intervals.
Second, he explains that people wondered that he (Eco) had written so much on various subjects. But the fact is that
he was writing on the same lines and same interests-peace, philosophy, etc. All his works were linked with the thread
of common interests. It saves his time and he could write a lot in a short period of time. That was the secret behind
Eco’s prolific pen.

3. What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

Ans. Umberto Eco's academic writing style is quite distinctive. It has a certain playful and personal quality about it. It
is a marked departure from a regular academic style, which is usually depersonalised and often dry and boring.

4. Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?

Ans. Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and a novelist later. He makes his preference clear by
saying, "I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays". On week days he attends academic
conferences and does other scholarly, non-fictional work.

5. Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very
personal questions.

Ans. Interviewers want to present exclusive and intimate details about the famous person they are interviewing.
Some interviewers focus on the public life and achievements of the individual only. They try to be objective in their
approach as well as assessment. However, there are others who want to make their interviews spicier and usually
cross the thin limit of privacy of the individual. In their zeal to present good copy they embarrass the famous person
with the personal questions. Sometimes impact of such questions on famous person reveals his/her aversion as well
as irritation at the silliness of the person. If they shout, they are accused of being rude and proud and if they keep
mum thy are labelled as arrogant. In my opinion privacy of an individual must be respected.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What according to Umberto Eco is the belief that most journalists and publishers have?

Ans. Eco said that The Name of the Rose was a serious novel. It was a detective story at one level but it also dug into
metaphysics, theology, and medieval history. Yet, it was enjoyed by a large audience. Eco felt that there was a
percentage of readers who did not want easy experiences. Even if they did enjoy reading trash, it was not all the
time. Many books had been written about the medieval past but the reason for the success of his book was
unknown. He felt that perhaps if he had written The Name of the Rose ten years earlier or ten years later, it wouldn't
have been the same success.

2. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

Ans. Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed because they have faced the fright of interview. Among them,
the interview is regarded as an unwarranted entrance into their privacy.

LAQ

1. How would you evaluate Mukund Padmanabhan as an interviewer? Mention at least two qualities he displays in
his interview, supported by textual evidence. (CBSE QUESTION BANK)

Ans. The Interview Following is an excerpt taken from Christopher Silvester’s book Introduction to the Penguin Book
of Interviews, An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day.

Mukund Padmanabhan was surely a successful and well-thought-out reporter who always used to ask answerable
and dexterous questions to his interviewees. He used to plan and prepare to conduct an interview of a celebrity. He
never asked ugly or embarrassing questions and on the other hand, the celebrity whom he interviewed always
seemed to be comfortable with his questions. Through the interviews, readers not only got the information about
the celebrities but many other important aspects of Mukund’s personality also came in their knowledge. He asked
brief and quality questions to his interviewees scrupulously. He let the interviewees speak in their own manner and
never tried to interrupt or cross-questioned them.

His interviewees used to be free and frank with him. He was always a prepared interviewer. Mukund, in advance
arranged the information and personality traits of his interviewees and then with full preparations started his
sessions. In all we can say that Mukund Padmanabhan was a disciplined and dedicated interviewer.
2. Give a character sketch of Umberto Eco on the basis of the chapter ‘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 nonfiction, literary fiction essays, children’s
books, newspaper articles etc.

He always wanted to be called 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 five
novels. He used to denote time for writing novels on only Sundays. He discovered a magical trick of working in
interstices.

He used to use 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 celebrity attitude
though his novel was bought by more than 10 million of the readers.