7 The Interview

— Christopher Silvester

'The Interview' is a chapter divided into two parts. The  rst part is an article by
the English writer, Christopher Silvester. It deals with the origins of the interview
as a form of journalism. The second part is an extract from the interview
conducted by an experienced editor of the Hindu, Mukund Padmanabhan of,
professor and novelist, Umberto Eco.

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 Characters in Brief

He is a knowledgeable He is a journalist who

and talented writer. conducts the interview.

Christopher Silvester

Chapter in Detail
Part : 1
The Author Introduces the Interview
Christopher Silvester declares in the introduction to The Penguin Book of
Interviews that the interview was 130 years old. Today, it is a staple of journalism.
Anyone who is literate today would have read one interview at least. On the
other hand, there are celebrities who have been interviewed many times.
Therefore, different people hold different opinions on the function, merits and
methods of the interview. Silvester continues that some people think that it is a
source of truth and some perceive it as an art to be practised. However, some
people who are interviewed see it as an unwanted intrusion into their lives.
Character's Mood
 Conflicted; Explanatory.
The Author Quotes Writers’ Reactions
To substantiate his claims, the author shares what famous writers thought about
interviews. V.S. Naipaul felt that people are hurt by interviews. The author of
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, never gave interviews as he was horrified by
them. He was afraid that he would be feted by interviewers, acquaintances and
autograph hunters so much that he took special pleasure in narrating stories
of how he silenced them. Rudyard Kipling felt even more antagonistic towards
interviews, and a record of his attitude can be found in his wife’s diary. She
noted him as saying that his day was wrecked by two reporters from Boston.
In addition, she reported that her husband refused to be interviewed because
he believed that it was immoral and an assault on the person. However, Kipling
himself had interviewed Mark Twain a few years ago. H.G. Wells too found the
interview an ordeal, but interviewed Joseph Stalin forty years later. Saul Bellow,
who had given many interviews, thought that interviews were like ‘thumbprints
on the windpipe’. The author wrapped up the introduction by saying that no
matter what the drawbacks of the interview were, it was an extremely effective
medium. He quoted Denis Brian who said that the most detailed impressions
of our contemporaries were captured via interview. The interviewer had a lot

2 English Core Class XII

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of power since everything of importance came from one person interviewing
another.
Example 1. Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?
Rationalise.
Ans. C
 elebrity writers despise being interviewed because they are hounded
by many reporters, which makes it an irritating rather than pleasurable
experience. Also, interviews can turn unprofessional and become an
intrusion of privacy.
Twisting someone’s words and minsinterpretation of what is being said
are more reasons why celebrities shy away from interviews.

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Dictionary

Word Meaning Synonyms Antonyms

extravagant exceeding due bounds; lavish, excessive, cheap, thriftly, plain
wild fancy
unwarranted incapable of being unjustified, justified, reasonable,
justified or explained unfounded, just
baseless
intrusion entrance by force, invasion, trespass, consideration,
without permission or interference courtesy, attention
welcome

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The Interview 3
 OBJECTIVE Type Questions
[ 1 mark ]
Multiple Choice Questions
1. According to Christopher Silvester, the interview can be “in its highest
form, a source of truth”. Choose the option that does NOT enable this?
(a) An interview allows for discovery of new knowledge about the
interviewee and/ or the subject being discussed.
(b) An interview enables the interviewer to probe deeply, seek
clarifications, and confirm understandings.
(c) An interview represents an opportunity to open doors to experiences
that may not otherwise find a voice.
(d) An interview requires the interviewer to have in-depth prior
knowledge of the interviewee and the subject.
[CBSE Question Bank 2021]
Ans.(d) An interview requires the interviewer to have in-depth prior knowledge
of the interviewee and the subject.
Explanation: Options (a), (b) and (c) all enable the interview to be a source
of truth. Hence, they are not the correct answers. Only option (d) talks
about researching before the interview. So, option (d) is the correct answer.
Extract Based Questions
2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Umberto Eco: And then I have a secret. Did you know what will happen
if you eliminate the empty spaces from the universe, eliminate the
empty spaces in all the atoms? The universe will become as big as my
fist. Similarly, we have a lot of empty spaces in our lives. I call them
interstices. Say you are coming over to my place. You are in an elevator
and while you are coming up, I am waiting for you. This is an interstice, an
empty space. I work in empty spaces. While waiting for your elevator to
come up from the first to the third floor, I have already written an article!
(Laughs).
(A)The secret that Eco shares with us in the extract is related to which
aspect of his life?
(B)Infer the qualities of Umberto Eco that come out in the extract.
(C)What can be inferred as the meaning of the sentence, ‘I work in
empty spaces’?
(a) He works while teaching in a university.
(b) He works in the gaps between activities.

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 (c) He works while travelling in an elevator.
(d) He works while being interviewed.
(D)Complete the following sentence using ONE word:
Through the example of interstices, Eco has basically given us a
lesson on ....................... management
(E)What are the ‘empty spaces’ referred to in the extract?
Ans.(A) U
 mberto Eco tells us that he uses the ‘empty spaces’ or 'interstices’ of
his life to write. He uses these brief gaps to increase his productivity.
It relates to the writing aspect of his life.
(B) His
 innovative thinking and practical mindset are two values that
come out in the extract. He is able to use the brief gaps of time that
he calls ‘interstices’ to add to his writing output. It shows both his
innovative thinking and practical mindset.
(C)(b) He works in the gaps between activities.
Explanation: Umberto Eco said he works in ‘interstices’, which are
gaps. So, this points to option (b) as the correct option. Options (a), (c)
and (d) are not the correct answer as they are not stated in the extract.
(D) Time
(E) The ‘empty spaces’ referred to in the extract are called interstices by
Eco. They refer to pockets of time that we get in between our regular
activities and schedule.

SHORT ANSWER Type Questions (SA)

[ 2 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 40-50 words:
3. 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 2022]
Ans. The first quality is Mukund Padmanabhan can improvise. He asks a question
based on what Umberto Eco says. For example, when Eco says he does
many things but actually he is doing the same thing, Padmanabhan picks
it up and asks, ‘Which is?’ Second, he connects Eco’s answer to the following
question. For example: Eco says, ‘Novels satisfied my taste for narration’.
Padmanabhan asks his next question with, ‘Talking about novels…’.

The Interview 5
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 LONG ANSWER Type Questions (LA)
[ 5 marks ]
Answer the following questions in 120-150 words:
4. Mukund Padmanabhan was gifted ‘The Penguin Book of Interviews -
An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day’ edited by Christopher
Silvester, after interviewing Eco.
He shared his thoughts on his personal blog exploring his own
concerns about interviewing a distinguished writer like Eco, followed
by an evaluation of the interview in light of his reading.
As Mukund Padmanabhan, write the blog post.
[CBSE Question Bank 2021]
Ans.Interviewing Eco; Reading Silvester
Recently, I had the good fortune of interviewing Umberto Eco. It was a
thought-provoking experience. He was humble and down to earth. I was
intrigued by his idea of ‘interstices’. He spoke about how he writes in these
interstices, and also about 'The Name of the Rose'. I enjoyed speaking to
such a learned mind. He straddled so many genres with such ease.
Right after I interviewed Umberto Eco, I read ‘The Penguin Book of
Interviews - An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day’ edited by
Christopher Silvester. I am glad I read the introduction after my interview
with Eco. I didn’t know that so many writers did not like being interviewed!
I do hope Umberto Eco is not one among them. This is a useful book
for journalists like me. It gives a historical perspective to the art of the
interview, which I have not found elsewhere.

6 English Core Class XII

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