The Interview

Given: The passage discusses both negative and positive views on interviews.

Answer:
Despite the many criticisms levelled against interviews, there are significant positive views on them:

1. Denis Brian describes the interview as "a supremely serviceable medium of communication."
2. He further writes: *"These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews."*
3. According to Brian, "Almost everything of moment reaches us through one man asking questions of another."
4. The interviewer is said to hold "a position of unprecedented power and influence" in today's world.

Thus, the positive view is that interviews are the most effective and powerful means of conveying information about people and events to the public.

Given: The passage mentions the reactions of several famous writers to being interviewed.

Answer:
Most celebrity writers despise being interviewed for the following reasons:

1. Invasion of privacy: They feel that an interview is an intrusion into their personal lives. Rudyard Kipling called it "immoral" and compared it to "a crime" and "an assault on his person."
2. Loss of dignity: Kipling further described it as "cowardly and vile" and said no respectable man would ask for or give an interview.
3. Distortion of personality: V. S. Naipaul felt that interviews left a "permanent dent" on his personality, suggesting that the image projected through interviews is not always accurate.
4. Feeling of violation: Saul Bellow described interviews as being like "thumbprints on his windpipe" — a feeling of being choked or suffocated, implying a loss of freedom and comfort.

In short, celebrity writers feel that interviews expose them to unwanted scrutiny, misrepresentation, and a sense of violation of their private selves.

Given: The passage refers to beliefs in primitive cultures regarding photography.

Answer:
In some primitive cultures, it is believed that if someone takes your photograph, they capture a part of your soul. In other words, being photographed is seen as a spiritual threat — the photographer is thought to steal or permanently possess a fragment of the subject's inner self or identity.

This belief is used in the passage as an analogy to explain why some people, including celebrity writers, feel uncomfortable or violated when they are interviewed, as if a part of their true self is being taken away or exposed without their full consent.

Given: Saul Bellow used this expression to describe his feeling about interviews.

Answer:
The expression "thumbprints on his windpipe" is a vivid and powerful metaphor used by Saul Bellow to convey his deep discomfort with being interviewed.

- Literally, a thumbprint on the windpipe suggests someone pressing their thumb against your throat — an act that restricts breathing and causes suffocation.
- Figuratively, Bellow means that interviews make him feel choked, constrained, and violated. Just as a thumbprint on the windpipe would leave a mark and restrict free breathing, interviews leave a lasting impression on his personality and restrict his freedom of expression.
- The expression also suggests that interviews are intrusive and oppressive — they do not allow the subject to breathe freely or express himself naturally.

In essence, Bellow felt that interviews were a form of subtle but real suppression of his authentic self.

Given: Denis Brian's views are quoted in the passage.

Answer:
According to Denis Brian, in today's world, the interviewer is our chief source of information about personalities and contemporaries.

Brian writes: *"These days, more than at any other time, our most vivid impressions of our contemporaries are through interviews."* He further states that *"Almost everything of moment reaches us through one man asking questions of another."*

Thus, it is the interviewer — the person who asks questions — who holds a position of unprecedented power and influence and serves as the primary medium through which we learn about famous personalities, their thoughts, opinions, and lives.

Given: The excerpt is from an interview of Umberto Eco conducted by Mukund Padmanabhan.

Answer:
Yes, it appears that Umberto Eco does not mind being interviewed and, in fact, seems to enjoy it to a considerable extent. The following reasons support this opinion:

1. He is forthcoming and elaborate: Eco does not give curt or evasive answers. He responds at length, sharing personal anecdotes, philosophical reflections, and humorous observations.
2. He uses storytelling: He says, *"let me tell you another story, because I often tell stories like a Chinese wise man."* This shows he is comfortable and even enthusiastic in the interview setting.
3. He is self-aware and reflective: He speaks candidly about his academic writing, his novels, and his use of time, suggesting he is at ease discussing himself.
4. He has consented to many interviews: The fact that this interview exists and that Eco engages so openly suggests he does not share the hostility towards interviews that writers like Kipling or Bellow expressed.
5. He laughs during the interview: The stage direction *(Laughs)* indicates he is relaxed and enjoying the conversation.

Conclusion: Unlike many celebrity writers who despise interviews, Umberto Eco appears to welcome them as an opportunity to share his ideas and stories with a wider audience.

Given: Eco is a prolific writer — both an academic scholar and a novelist.

Answer:
Umberto Eco explains his extraordinary productivity by revealing that he utilises the empty spaces or interstices of time that most people waste.

He explains that he has a secret — he calls these gaps "empty spaces." While most people wait idly during small intervals — for example, waiting for an elevator to travel from the first to the third floor — Eco uses that time productively. He says:

*"While waiting for your elevator to come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article!"*

Eco suggests that there are thousands of such empty spaces in a day — waiting for someone, riding in a vehicle, pausing between tasks — and by filling these spaces with productive work, he is able to write a great deal without needing extra hours.

In summary: Eco's secret to prolific writing is the disciplined and creative use of every small fragment of free time that others typically let go to waste.

Given: Eco is known both as an academic scholar and as a novelist.

Answer:
Umberto Eco's academic writing style was distinctive because it was narrative and story-like, rather than dry and purely theoretical as is typical of academic writing.

Key features of his distinctive style:

1. Narrative approach: Even in his academic essays and scholarly works, Eco always told a story. He did not simply present abstract arguments; he wove them into a narrative framework.
2. Accessibility with depth: His writing managed to be intellectually rigorous while also being engaging and readable.
3. Personal voice: He brought a personal, almost conversational tone to academic subjects, which made his work stand out.

Eco himself acknowledged this when he said: *"I am convinced I am always doing the same thing"* — meaning that whether writing academic texts or novels, his fundamental approach (narrative, story-driven) remained the same.

This distinctive style is what eventually led him naturally to novel-writing, as the narrative impulse that characterised his academic work found its fullest expression in fiction.

Given: Eco has produced both significant academic works and internationally acclaimed novels.

Answer:
Umberto Eco considered himself primarily an academic scholar rather than a novelist.

The reasons are:

1. Academic work came first: Eco spent the majority of his career as a professor and academic, writing on semiotics, philosophy, and literary theory. His scholarly output was vast — he mentions writing "at least more than 20" academic books (corrected by the interviewer to "over 40").
2. Novels as a secondary pursuit: He began writing novels relatively late in his career. *The Name of the Rose* was his first novel, published when he was already an established academic.
3. He identifies with his academic role: When asked, Eco implies that his academic writing is his primary identity. He says he cannot expect a million readers for his work on semiotics, suggesting he sees his scholarly work as his core contribution.
4. Novels satisfied a different need: He says *"Novels probably satisfied my taste for narration"* — implying that novel-writing was a way of fulfilling a creative urge, not his primary professional identity.

Conclusion: Eco saw himself first and foremost as an academic and scholar, with novel-writing being a deeply satisfying but secondary creative outlet.

Given: *The Name of the Rose* by Umberto Eco became an international bestseller, selling millions of copies.

Answer:
According to Umberto Eco himself, **the success of *The Name of the Rose* is a mystery that cannot be fully explained.

He offers the following observations:

1. Timing played a role:** Eco believes that the timing of the novel's publication was crucial. He says: *"I think if I had written The Name of the Rose ten years earlier or ten years later, it wouldn't have been the same."* Something about the particular moment in history when it was published made it resonate with readers.
2. Medieval history as a theme: The interviewer Mukund suggests that the novel's focus on medieval history may have contributed to its appeal. Eco acknowledges this as a possibility.
3. Unpredictability of success: Eco points out that many books had been written about the medieval past before his, yet they did not achieve the same success. This shows that the subject matter alone cannot explain it.
4. Publisher's surprise: Even Eco's American publisher did not anticipate the success — she expected to sell only 3,000 copies, yet it sold two or three million in the USA alone.

Conclusion: Eco humbly and honestly admits that no one can predict or fully explain the success of a book. The success of *The Name of the Rose* was the result of a mysterious combination of the right content, the right style, and the right moment in time.

Note: This is an open-ended discussion activity. The following is a model response that students can adapt based on their own experience.

Model Response:

I once watched a television interview of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India and renowned scientist, conducted by a journalist on a national news channel.

Understanding of the celebrity:
The interview revealed aspects of Dr. Kalam's personality that his books and public speeches had not fully conveyed — his simplicity, his deep love for children and education, and his unwavering optimism about India's future. When he spoke about his childhood in Rameswaram and his struggles, it made him more human and relatable.

Understanding of the interviewer:
The interviewer asked thoughtful, well-researched questions that went beyond the obvious. This showed that a good interviewer must prepare thoroughly, must listen actively, and must know when to probe deeper and when to allow the subject to speak freely.

Understanding of the field:
Through the interview, I gained a clearer understanding of space science and missile technology in India — subjects that can seem distant and technical — because Dr. Kalam explained them with enthusiasm and simple analogies.

Conclusion: A well-conducted interview is far more illuminating than a biography or a news report because it captures the living personality of the subject — their spontaneity, humour, passion, and humanity.

Note: This is an open-ended discussion activity. The following is a model response.

Model Response:

Among the three media — print, radio, and television — I personally prefer television as the medium for an interview, for the following reasons:

1. Visual dimension: Television allows the viewer to observe the body language, facial expressions, and gestures of the interviewee. These non-verbal cues often reveal as much as the words spoken.
2. Authenticity: It is harder for a subject to hide discomfort, evasiveness, or genuine emotion on camera, making the interview feel more authentic.
3. Engagement: The combination of audio and visual elements makes a television interview more engaging and easier to follow than a radio interview (audio only) or a print interview (text only).

However, print interviews have their own advantages:
- They can be read at one's own pace.
- They allow for more nuanced, detailed responses.
- They are permanent records that can be referred to repeatedly.

Radio interviews are intimate and accessible but lack the visual element.

Conclusion: While each medium has its strengths, television offers the most complete and immersive interview experience, combining sight, sound, and spontaneity.

Note: This is an open-ended discussion activity. The following presents both sides of the argument.

Model Response:

This is a topic that raises important questions about the balance between the public's right to information and an individual's right to privacy.

In favour of the celebrity's right to privacy:
1. Every human being, regardless of fame, has a fundamental right to a private life. Fame does not forfeit this right.
2. Very personal questions — about family, health, relationships, or personal tragedies — can cause genuine emotional distress.
3. As Saul Bellow suggested, intrusive interviews feel like "thumbprints on the windpipe" — they suffocate and violate.
4. Rudyard Kipling called such intrusion "immoral" and compared it to a physical assault.

In favour of the interviewer asking personal questions:
1. Celebrities, by choosing public life, accept a degree of public scrutiny.
2. Personal questions often reveal the human side of a celebrity, making them more relatable to the public.
3. In some cases — such as political leaders — personal conduct is directly relevant to their public role.

Conclusion:
The key lies in responsible journalism. An interviewer must distinguish between questions that serve the public interest and those that merely satisfy public curiosity. Ethical interviewing respects boundaries, seeks consent, and does not exploit vulnerability. Fame should not mean the complete surrender of one's private self.

Note: This writing task requires converting the interview into a third-person newspaper report. The following is a model report.

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UMBERTO ECO: 'THE SUCCESS OF THE NAME OF THE ROSE IS A MYSTERY'
*By Mukund Padmanabhan*

Renowned Italian novelist and academic Umberto Eco, in a recent interview, spoke candidly about his prolific writing career, his identity as a scholar, and the unexpected global success of his celebrated novel, *The Name of the Rose*.

Eco, who is best known internationally as a novelist, maintained that he considers himself primarily an academic and scholar. He has authored over 40 academic books on subjects ranging from semiotics to philosophy and literary theory. He explained that his novels and academic writings are, at their core, driven by the same impulse — the love of narration. *"I am convinced I am always doing the same thing,"* he said.

When asked how he manages to write so prolifically, Eco revealed his secret: the productive use of "empty spaces" — the small intervals of time that most people waste. *"While waiting for your elevator to come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article!"* he said with a laugh.

On the subject of *The Name of the Rose*, which sold millions of copies worldwide, Eco was characteristically humble. He attributed its success largely to mystery and timing. *"I think if I had written it ten years earlier or ten years later, it wouldn't have been the same,"* he said. Even his American publisher had anticipated selling no more than 3,000 copies, yet the novel eventually sold two to three million copies in the United States alone.

Eco's academic writing, he noted, was always distinguished by its narrative quality — a feature unusual in scholarly work. It was this same narrative instinct that eventually led him to fiction.

The interview offered a rare and illuminating glimpse into the mind of one of the world's most versatile and celebrated intellectuals.

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Key points to include in such a report:
- Eco's self-identification as an academic first, novelist second.
- His secret of using empty/interstice time productively.
- The mystery behind the success of *The Name of the Rose*.
- The narrative quality of his academic writing.
- His publisher's surprise at the novel's success.

Note: This is a practical extension activity. The following is a model framework and sample interview to guide students.

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HOW TO CONDUCT AND RECORD AN INTERVIEW — A GUIDE

Step 1 — Choose your subject: Select a person you genuinely admire — a teacher, a senior student, a local artist, a doctor, a social worker, etc.

Step 2 — Prepare your questions: Research the person's background and prepare 8–10 thoughtful questions covering:
- Their background and early life
- Their field of work/achievement
- Challenges they faced
- Advice for young people
- Their dreams and future plans

Step 3 — Conduct the interview: Be polite, listen carefully, and use discourse linkers ("That brings me to my next question...", "You mentioned... could you elaborate?") to keep the conversation flowing.

Step 4 — Record it in writing: Write it either as a verbatim transcript (question and answer format) or as a report (third-person narrative).

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SAMPLE INTERVIEW (Model)

Subject: Ms. Anita Sharma, Science Teacher, 20 years of teaching experience.

Interviewer: What inspired you to become a teacher?
Ms. Sharma: My own school teacher, who made science come alive for me. I wanted to do the same for others.

Interviewer: What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Ms. Sharma: When a student who once feared science comes back to tell me they chose it as their career.

Interviewer: What challenges do you face?
Ms. Sharma: Keeping students engaged in an age of smartphones is the biggest challenge today.

Interviewer: What advice would you give to students?
Ms. Sharma: Be curious. Never stop asking questions. That is the heart of all learning.

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Tips for students:
- Always seek permission before conducting the interview.
- Be respectful and do not ask overly personal questions.
- Thank the interviewee at the end.
- Review your notes immediately after the interview while memory is fresh.