If the interviewer Mukund Padmanabhan had not got the space in the newspaper to reproduce the interview verbatim, he may have been asked to produce a short report of the interview with the salient points.
Write this report for him.
[The teacher should be able to help the pupils in what to include and what can be omitted. We could also provide a short report of an interview as a sample.]
If the interviewer Mukund Padmanabhan had not got the space in the newspaper to reproduce the interview verbatim, he may have been asked to produce a short report of the interview with the salient points.
Write this report for him.
[The teacher should be able to help the pupils in what to include and what can be omitted. We could also provide a short report of an interview as a sample.]
A CHAT WITH UMBERTO ECO
By Mukund Padmanabhan
Delhi, 6 September
Umberto Eco, the renowned scholar and writer, in a short interview with The Hindu claimed to be an academician first and a novelist later. He is a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy. His works range from semiotics to literary interpretation, medieval aesthetics and finally to novels and children’s books. When asked about his wide-ranging works, he clarified his position saying “I am a professor who writes novels on Sundays”.
One is amazed by his ability to manage time. He revealed his secret theory of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. Eco explained his way of utilising every second, even the free ones between two different tasks.
All of Eco’s works including his academic publications have a personal touch to them. This is Eco’s unique style of writing which, he declared, began at the age of 22 when he was a research scholar. His inclination towards creative writing led him to novel-writing in his later years.
His detective novel The Name of the Rose has sold 10 million copies, but its success apparently did not surprise him. He stated that the success of the book proves that there are people who read difficult texts.
All in all, Eco turned out to be a dynamic personality who loves his work. His enthusiasm is apparent in the way he gave the replies to all the questions, without any apprehension or qualms.
A CHAT WITH UMBERTO ECO
By Mukund Padmanabhan
Delhi, 6 September
Umberto Eco, the renowned scholar and writer, in a short interview with The Hindu claimed to be an academician first and a novelist later. He is a professor at the University of Bologna in Italy. His works range from semiotics to literary interpretation, medieval aesthetics and finally to novels and children’s books. When asked about his wide-ranging works, he clarified his position saying “I am a professor who writes novels on Sundays”.
One is amazed by his ability to manage time. He revealed his secret theory of empty spaces or ‘interstices’, as he calls them. Eco explained his way of utilising every second, even the free ones between two different tasks.
All of Eco’s works including his academic publications have a personal touch to them. This is Eco’s unique style of writing which, he declared, began at the age of 22 when he was a research scholar. His inclination towards creative writing led him to novel-writing in his later years.
His detective novel The Name of the Rose has sold 10 million copies, but its success apparently did not surprise him. He stated that the success of the book proves that there are people who read difficult texts.
All in all, Eco turned out to be a dynamic personality who loves his work. His enthusiasm is apparent in the way he gave the replies to all the questions, without any apprehension or qualms.
