Mukund Padmanabhan

Mukund Padmanabhan, of the newspaper The Hindu, is the interviewer who draws Eco out. Though he stays largely in the background, he is perceptive and well-prepared: his questions are intelligent and pointed, moving from Eco's astonishing productivity to his sense of identity, his prose style, and the mystery of his novel's success. He listens closely, picking up Eco's own words to frame his next question, and he is unafraid to press — asking directly whether it bothers Eco to be called "the novelist." His skilful, respectful questioning is exactly what allows the reader to see so much of Eco in so …