Prose: The Interview

Nature of Interviews

Interviews are viewed simultaneously as a source of truth, an art form, a commonplace mode of journalism, and an intrusive violation of privacy by celebrities.

Umberto Eco's Interstices

Eco explains his prolific writing output by describing how he utilizes empty spaces, called 'interstices', in his schedule to complete academic and literary work.

Academic vs. Fictional Writing

Eco considers himself an academic scholar first who writes novels on Sundays, showing how different creative outlets can coexist within the same individual.

Celebrity Aversion

Figures like Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and Saul Bellow despised interviews, considering them immoral, a crime, or an assault that leaves an impression of their personality.

The Name of the Rose

Umberto Eco achieved massive, unexpected global success with this dense, scholarly detective novel, which transformed him overnight from a university professor into a global literary icon.