Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-09-02
MARK TWAIN ON INTERVIEWS.
He Thinks Most OF Them Absurdities and
Tells Why He Thinks So.

Tells why He Thinks So.
Mark Twain writes to a correspondent who
wanted to interview" him:
No, not is like most interviews, pure
twaddle and valuelsss
For several quite plain and simple reasons
an Interview" must, as a rule, be an alb
surdity. And chiefly for this reason: 1t Is an
attempt to use a boat on land, or wagon on
water, TO speak figr ratively Spoken speech
Is one thing, written speech is another Print
Is proper vehicle for the latter, but it isn't
for the former. TIE moment talk" is put
into print you recognize that it is not
what 1t was when you heard IT,; you
perceive that an i'm nense something has dis
appeared from it. That is its soul. You have
nothing but IA dead carcass left on your
hands. Color, play of feature, the varying
moduiatIons of voice, the laugh, the smile,
the informing infections, everything that
gave body, warmth grace, friendliness and
charm, and commended it to your affection,
or at least to your tolerance, is gone, and
nothing is left but A pallid. stiff and repul
sive cadavcr
Such Is talk" ain ost invariably, as you see
It lying in state in an interview" The in.
terviewer seldom tries to tell one how a thing
was said he merely puts in the naked remark
and stops there When one writes for print
his methods are very different He follows
forms which have but little resemblance to
conversation, but they make the reader under
stand what the writer is trying to convey.
And when the write is making a story, and
hnds 1t necessary 10 report some of the talk
of his characters, OBJ erve how cautiously and
anxiously he goes at that risky aud difficult
thing:
''If be had dared to say that thing in nv
presence" said Alfred, taking mock heroic
attitude and casting an arch glance upon the
company, "blood would have flowed ''If he
had dared to say thaJ thing in my presence, I"
said Hawkwood, with that III his eye which
caused more than ons heart in that guilty as
semblage to quake, blood would have
flowed IF he had dared TO say that thing
in my presence," sail the paltry blusterer
with vaior ON his tongue and pallor on his
lips, blood would ha We flowed"
SO painfully aware is the novelist that
naked talk in print conveys no meaning that
he loads and often pvcrloads almost every
utterance of his ch Iracters with explana.
tions and interpretat ons II is loud con-
fesson that print is a poor vehicle for talk, e"
It Is "A recognition that uninterrupted talk in
print would result in confusion to the reader
not instruction
NOW, IN your Interview you have certainly
been most accurate, You have set down the
sentences uttered as | said them But you
have not a word of explanation; what my
manner was at several points is not indicated.
Therefore, no reade' can possibly know
where was in earnest and where / was jok-
ing; or whether WIS joking altogether or
in earnest altogethe-. Such a report of
conversation has no value. 1t can convey
many meanings to the reader, but never the
right one.
To add interpretations which would convey
the right meanings is a something which
would require-whatl An art SO high and
fine and difficult that no possessor of it would
ever be allowed to waste it on interviews.
No, spare the reader and spare me; lea We
the whole interview out; it is rubbish.
wouldn't talk in my sleep if couldn't talk
better than that.
If you wish to print anything, print this
letter: 1t may have some value, for it may
explain to a reader here and there why it is
that in interviews as L rule men seem to talk
like anybody but themselves.