"The Interview" is the seventh prose chapter of the Flamingo textbook for Class 12 English. Written by Christopher Silvester, the chapter is taken from his book "The Penguin Book of Interviews: An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day" (1993). The chapter is a thoughtful essay on the history, nature, and significance of the interview as a modern journalistic form, and it explores the various attitudes that writers, thinkers, and celebrities have held towards being interviewed.
The interview is one of the most common yet peculiar forms of modern communication. It is a conversation that seeks to reveal a person — their thoughts, personality, and life — to a wider audience. Silvester traces the origins of the interview to the nineteenth century, when American newspapers first began to use it as a means of obtaining information and entertaining readers. Since then, the interview has grown into a powerful and widespread medium, shaping public opinion and creating intimate, if temporary, connections between public figures and their audiences.
The chapter presents a striking paradox. On one hand, the interview is seen as a source of truth, information, and connection — a "serviceable medium of communication." On the other hand, many great writers have condemned it as an intrusion, a violation of privacy, and even a "crime." Silvester quotes Saul Bellow, who described interviews as being "like thumbprints on his windpipe," and V. S. Naipaul, who claimed that interviews are "an unwarrantable intrusion into the life of a writer." The chapter culminates in an interview with the celebrated Indian writer and scientist, Umberto Eco — a man who, though a prolific scholar, believed in the power of silence, emptiness, and the gap between things.
Christopher Silvester is a British journalist and author who has written for publications such as the Sunday Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the New Statesman. He is the editor of "The Penguin Book of Interviews: An Anthology from 1859 to the Present Day," from which this chapter is taken. Silvester's writing is characterised by intellectual curiosity, a lively prose style, and a deep interest in the media and public culture. In "The Interview," he combines the history of the form with personal commentary and a fascinating interview with Umberto Eco, demonstrating his skill as both an essayist and an interviewer.
The chapter opens with Silvester's observation that the interview has become a common form of communication in the modern world. It is found in newspapers, magazines, television, and radio, and it involves one person extracting information, opinions, and personality from another. Silvester notes that while the interview is now taken for granted, it is actually a relatively recent invention, dating back only to the nineteenth century. It was in the United States that the interview first became a recognised journalistic form, and from there it spread around the world.
Silvester then presents the "other side" of the debate. Many famous writers have viewed the interview with suspicion and hostility. Saul Bellow, the American novelist, is quoted as saying that being interviewed felt like having his "thumbprints taken" or having a "a thumbprint on his windpipe." V. S. Naipaul, the Nobel laureate, dismissed the interview as an "unwarrantable intrusion into the life of a writer." Other writers, such as Rudyard Kipling and T. S. Eliot, also condemned the form. Rudyard Kipling's wife and Lewis Carroll expressed strong objections to being interviewed. Silvester explains that this hostility arises because the interview feels like an invasion of the private self.
Silvester acknowledges both views: the interview can be a "serviceable medium of communication," but it can also be a form of "voyeurism" and "impertinence." He suggests that the interview deserves serious study because of its enormous influence on public life. He then introduces his own interview with Umberto Eco, conducted for the chapter. Eco, a distinguished Italian professor of semiotics and the author of the bestselling novel "The Name of the Rose," is presented as a charming, prolific, and paradoxical figure.
In the interview, Eco reveals that he wrote "The Name of the Rose" in 1978 as an attempt to "outlive" his academic work, not expecting it to become a worldwide bestseller. He explains that he sees himself as a scholar who writes novels "on Sundays," and he describes his method as a "philosophical novel" — one that uses suspense and narrative for higher philosophical purposes. He also discusses his love of the "empty" spaces in his writing, explaining that he enjoys the silence and the gaps between things, and that he believes in a "void" that allows for creativity. Eco admits that he has a "difficulty" with technology, but he enjoys his work as a professor and believes in the power of serious thought communicated to a wide audience.
The author and interviewer. He presents a balanced view of the interview — both its virtues and its dangers — and demonstrates his skill by interviewing the complex figure of Umberto Eco.
A distinguished Italian philosopher, semiotician, and novelist. He is the author of "The Name of the Rose" (1980), a worldwide bestseller. He is depicted as a warm, humorous, and prolific intellectual who writes serious scholarly works and novels "on Sundays." He believes in the value of silence and the "empty" spaces that allow creativity.
The American novelist quoted for his hostile view of the interview — he compared it to having "thumbprints on his windpipe." He represents the writers who see the interview as an intrusion.
The Nobel Prize-winning novelist who called the interview an "unwarrantable intrusion into the life of a writer." He represents the view that a writer's creative self cannot be captured in conversation.
Rudyard Kipling and Lewis Carroll also expressed hostility towards interviews, showing that this suspicion of the interview cuts across generations of writers.
The central theme of the chapter is the nature and significance of the interview as a modern medium. Silvester examines how this relatively new form of communication has become central to journalism and public life. A related theme is the conflict between public exposure and private self: writers and artists, whose work is intimate and personal, often resist the interview as an intrusion into their inner lives.
The chapter also explores the theme of the relationship between the writer and the public: the interview creates an illusion of intimacy while actually being a controlled, staged performance. Another theme is the power of the media and its influence on celebrity and culture. Finally, through the interview with Umberto Eco, the chapter explores the theme of the modern intellectual — a scholar who straddles the worlds of academic seriousness and popular success, and who values silence, emptiness, and the gaps that make creativity possible.
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Silvester |
| Source | "The Penguin Book of Interviews" (1993) |
| Origin of the interview | Nineteenth-century United States |
| Hostile writers | Saul Bellow, V. S. Naipaul, Rudyard Kipling, Lewis Carroll |
| Interviewee | Umberto Eco, Italian semiotician and novelist |
| Eco's famous novel | "The Name of the Rose" |
| Element | View |
|---|---|
| The interview as medium | "Serviceable medium of communication" |
| Bellow's view | Like "thumbprints on his windpipe" |
| Naipaul's view | "Unwarrantable intrusion into the life of a writer" |
| Eco's view | Believes in silence and the value of the gap |
| The chapter's conclusion | Interview deserves serious study for its influence |
"The Interview" is a thoughtful and entertaining exploration of one of the most pervasive yet paradoxical forms of modern communication. Christopher Silvester traces the interview from its nineteenth-century American origins to its global dominance, and he presents a balanced view of its value and its dangers. On one hand, the interview is a powerful medium of information, intimacy, and public connection; on the other, it is seen by many writers as a violation of the private self — a "thumbprint on the windpipe" of creativity.
The chapter's final interview with Umberto Eco brings these themes to life. Eco, a scholar-novelist of immense charm, embodies the modern intellectual who moves easily between academic seriousness and popular success, while cherishing the silence and emptiness that make creativity possible. The chapter reminds us that the interview is not merely a journalistic tool but a mirror of the modern obsession with personality and publicity. It teaches us to value genuine communication while guarding the sacred spaces of the inner life.