The Interview Class 12: Umberto Eco, Interstices and The Name of the Rose
Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In Part II of The Interview, Umberto Eco tells Mukund Padmanabhan that his many books come from using 'interstices', the empty spaces in life. His academic writing is personal because it tells the story of his research. He considers himself a professor who writes novels on Sundays, and calls the success of The Name of the Rose a mystery.
Eco uses the small empty gaps of a day, like atoms mostly empty space, to write, and sees himself as a professor first.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose
Who is interviewed. Umberto Eco is a professor at the University of Bologna, known for his work on semiotics, who became world-famous with his novel The Name of the Rose. The interviewer is Mukund Padmanabhan of The Hindu, who is well prepared and moves the talk forward with signallers such as 'Which brings me to my next question'.
How does he do so much? Eco says he is always doing the same thing: pursuing his philosophical and ethical interests through academic work, novels and even children's books. His secret is to use interstices, the empty spaces in life. He can write an article while waiting for a lift. The analogy he uses: remove the empty spaces from atoms and the universe would shrink to the size of his fist, yet the empty spaces matter; so do the empty moments of a day. He sums it up: 'I work in empty spaces.'
Why is his academic writing personal? At 22 he submitted a dissertation that told the story of his research, trials and errors included, and a professor noticed this and had it published. Eco believes scholarly books should be written this way, as a narrative that shares the search with the reader, and that is why his essays are playful and personal, unlike regular depersonalised academic prose. He began to write novels late, at about 50, almost by accident.
Professor first. Asked about being known as a novelist, he replies that he is a university professor who writes novels on Sundays, and he identifies with the academic community, although novels reach a larger audience.
The success of The Name of the Rose. Eco is not puzzled that a serious novel became a bestseller. He thinks journalists and publishers wrongly believe people want only easy reading, and readers can enjoy challenge. His American publisher expected 3,000 copies to sell; it sold two or three million in the US, and the book sold between 10 and 15 million copies overall. Eco calls its success a mystery that nobody can predict or plan.
Link to Part I. Part I showed mixed views of interviews; Part II shows a good interview in action: a skilled interviewer, a witty and modest subject, and a lively exchange.
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
I work in empty spaces.
Umberto Eco: Explaining how he writes so much.
Sums up the idea of interstices.
I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays.
Umberto Eco: When told that people know him as a novelist.
He identifies with academics first.
I think the success of the book is a mystery.
Umberto Eco: On The Name of the Rose.
Success cannot be predicted or planned.
Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose: key facts
- Eco at a glance
Post professor, University of Bologna Field semiotics Famous novel The Name of the Rose Started novels about age 50 Self-image professor who writes novels on Sundays - Modest and witty.
- Interstices
- Empty spaces in life
- e.g. waiting for a lift
- used for articles
- 'I work in empty spaces'
- The atom analogy: the universe would be as big as his fist.
- The Name of the Rose
US publisher expected 3,000 copies actual US sales two or three million overall 10 to 15 million Eco success is a mystery - Challenging readers exist.
How to answer Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose questions
Use this for 40-50 word questions on interstices, personal scholarly writing, Eco's self-image or the novel's success, and for the 120-150 word question on the success of The Name of the Rose.
- 1Identify which question of the interview is being asked.
- 2Give Eco's answer in your own words with one fact (lift, age 22, Sundays, 3,000 copies).
- 3Explain the point behind the fact.
- 4Use a quote only if exact: 'I work in empty spaces'.
- 5Close with what it shows about Eco or about interviews.
Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Using interstices
Suppose a student keeps a small notebook and revises five vocabulary words each time she waits for the school bus, which takes about ten minutes every day.
Which idea of Eco does this illustrate, and how many minutes does she gain in a school week of five days?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Waiting time is an empty space, an interstice.
- Ten minutes a day for five days: 10 x 5 = 50 minutes.
Answer: She uses interstices, empty moments in the day, as Eco does while waiting for a lift. Over five days she gains 10 x 5 = 50 minutes of study.
Memory hook: Empty moments can be filled.
Underestimating readers
Suppose a publisher refuses a challenging book, saying that students only want easy reading, though many students enjoy puzzling stories.
Which view of Eco's does this resemble?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Eco says journalists and publishers wrongly think people want only easy reading.
- The success of his serious novel proved otherwise.
Answer: It resembles the mistaken belief Eco criticises, that people want only easy reading. His serious novel's huge sales showed that many readers enjoy a challenge.
Memory hook: Do not underrate the reader.
Tricks to remember Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Lift, 22, 50, Sunday
Lift (interstices), 22 (dissertation), 50 (first novel), Sunday (novels).
Use it when: Key details of Part II.
3,000 versus millions
Publisher expected 3,000; two or three million bought.
Use it when: The mystery of the success.
Atoms and fist
Empty spaces in atoms: the universe fits in a fist.
Use it when: The analogy for interstices.
Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: What are interstices? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
By 'interstices', Eco means:
(a) rooms in a house
(b) empty spaces or gaps in life
(c) pauses in a speech
(d) chapters of a novel
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Eco uses interstices for the empty spaces in life that he fills with work (1 mark).
Answer: (b) empty spaces or gaps in life
Example 2: Age at which he wrote novels · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Was Eco a young or a late starter as a novelist? Give the approximate age and the manner of his start.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- About 50 (0.5).
- Almost by accident (0.5).
Answer: He began at about fifty, almost by accident.
Example 3: Personal academic writing · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why is Eco's scholarly writing narrative and personal? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- At 22 his dissertation told the story of his research, errors included (1).
- He believes scholarly books should be written in this way (1).
Answer: At twenty-two, Eco wrote a dissertation that told the story of his research, including trials and errors, and a professor liked it and published it. Eco believes scholarly books should share the search with the reader this way, so his writing is personal and playful, not dry.
Example 4: Professor or novelist? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does Eco see himself, and what does this show about his attitude to fame? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- He is a professor who writes novels on Sundays (1).
- Modest and attached to the academic community (1).
Answer: Eco calls himself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays and identifies with the academic community, even though novels reach a larger audience. This shows his modesty and his loyalty to scholarship; he does not let a bestseller change how he sees his true work.
Example 5: Success of The Name of the Rose · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Eco calls the success of The Name of the Rose a mystery. Using the publisher's expectation and actual sales, discuss why the success surprised people and what Eco believes about readers. Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Serious, difficult novel (1).
- US publisher expected 3,000 copies; two or three million sold (1).
- Overall sales of 10 to 15 million (1).
- Eco says journalists and publishers wrongly think people want easy reading (1).
- He calls it a mystery that cannot be predicted (1).
Answer: The Name of the Rose was a serious, demanding novel, so nobody expected a bestseller. Eco's American publisher expected only 3,000 copies to sell, yet it sold two or three million in the United States, and between ten and fifteen million overall. The gap between 3,000 and millions shows how wrong the prediction was. Eco is not puzzled that a serious book succeeded, because he believes journalists and publishers wrongly think that readers want only easy reading. Many readers, he suggests, enjoy a challenge. Even so, he refuses to explain the success neatly and calls it a mystery, since nobody can predict or plan such a result. His answer shows modesty about his achievement and confidence in the intelligence of readers.
Where students lose marks in Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Writing that Eco wrote novels first
He is famous for the novel.
Wrong working
Eco was a novelist who also taught.
Right working
Eco is a professor who began writing novels late, at about fifty.
Do this: Remember 'novels on Sundays'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Taking interstices as physical rooms
The word is unfamiliar.
Wrong working
Interstices are gaps between buildings.
Right working
Interstices are empty spaces in life that Eco uses for work.
Do this: Link it to waiting for a lift.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Explaining the success without numbers
Missing the data.
Wrong working
The book sold well, which surprised everyone.
Right working
The publisher expected 3,000 copies; two or three million sold in the US.
Do this: Always quote expectation and result.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Exam tips
- Name the interviewer and the interviewed for every Part II question.
- Use exact numbers: 3,000, two or three million, 10 to 15 million.
- Keep 40-50 word answers to two linked points; 120-150 word answers need at least four.
Practice questions on Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Where is Eco a professor?
(a) Rome
(b) Bologna
(c) Milan
(d) OxfordHint
Italian university.
Answer
(b) Bologna
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
What example does Eco give of writing in an interstice?
Hint
Waiting somewhere.
Answer
Writing an article while waiting for a lift.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does the atom analogy in the interview suggest about empty spaces? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Fist and universe.
Answer
Eco says that if the empty spaces in atoms were removed, the whole universe would shrink to the size of his fist. By this analogy he suggests that empty spaces are enormous in total, and that the unused moments of a day, like empty space in atoms, add up to a great deal.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
The publisher expected 3,000 copies, but two million were sold in the US. How many times is that, and what does it show about predicting a book's success? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Divide 2,000,000 by 3,000.
Answer
Two million divided by 3,000 is about 667, so the actual sales were roughly 667 times the expectation (and about 1,000 times at three million). This shows that expert predictions about a book's success can be badly wrong, which is why Eco calls the success a mystery.
Q5 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Do you think the interviewer in Part II, Mukund Padmanabhan, conducts the interview well? Support your answer from how the questions are asked. Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Preparation, linked questions, signallers.
Answer
Mukund Padmanabhan conducts the interview well. He has clearly prepared, because his questions refer to Eco's scholarly work, his personal style and his two roles as professor and novelist. His questions are linked, so the talk flows naturally from time management to academic writing to the bestseller. He uses signallers, such as 'Which brings me to my next question', to shift topics smoothly. He allows Eco to tell stories, like the account of the dissertation, and does not interrupt, but he steers the talk back with sharp follow-ups. He also reflects the public's curiosity, asking why a serious novel became so popular. Because of his preparation and tact, Eco appears witty and relaxed. The result shows the interview at its best, as the chapter's first part says, a valuable way to learn about public figures.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What did Eco write while waiting for a lift?Show answer
An article.
2.At what age was his dissertation published as a book?Show answer
Twenty-two.
3.What did the American publisher expect?Show answer
About 3,000 copies.
4.Who interviewed Eco?Show answer
Mukund Padmanabhan of The Hindu.
Umberto Eco: Interstices, Personal Scholarship and The Name of the Rose: frequently asked questions
What are interstices in The Interview?
Empty spaces in life that Eco uses to work.
Why is Eco's academic writing personal?
Because he tells the story of the research, as his professor noticed in his dissertation.
How does Eco explain the success of The Name of the Rose?
He calls it a mystery and says readers can enjoy challenging books.