Ben Naparstek: In Conversation

Written by Elizabeth Welsh

Ben Naparstek: In Conversation

The interaction between an interviewer and interviewee involves a delicate pattern of linguistic steps bounding backwards and forwards.  Ben Naparstek, editor of Australia’s The Monthly and author of In Conversation: Encounters with Great Writers (2009) established this apt analogy of the journalistic interview as a nimble rhythmic dance between two peopleat the outset of his interview with Guy Somerset, Arts and Letters reviewer of The Listener.  Somerset opened the hour with the provocative query “So Ben, what would you ask first?” in effect turning the role of interviewer back on Naparstek and, as Ben fittingly put it, “wrong footing” him. The pair then discussed journalistic interview techniques, sharing the ‘tricks of the trade’ if you like, divulging the ways to avoid the exasperating “pedestrian answers” from interviewees.

As the conversation continued Somerset delved into Naparstek’s impressive career trajectory. Naparstek explained the double lives that he has led; writing as a freelance journalist from the remarkable age of 15 (his first reviews appearing in The Canberra Times) while simultaneously completing a Law and Arts degree at Melbourne University and beginning a PhD at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. However it was his “suspicious sideline” journalism, the self professed “hobby”, which eventually won out over his other, equally prestigious career options.

Naparstek told of his encounter with Graham Swift and Swift’s response to Naparstek’s humble rebuff of journalism as a mere “hobby”.  Swift answered with the dry provocation “Journalism is a strange hobby”.  This instigated a peal of laughter from the audience, and rightly so.  I anticipate that there are not many among us that would consider researching and conducting interviews with Noam Chomsky, Janet Malcolm and Bernard Schlink as a welcomed respite from our everyday lives. To me, it sounds like the peak of a striking journalistic career.  In fact he was only 23 when his book , In Conversation: Encounters with Great Writers (2009) was published.   Naparstek sat coolly with enviable self assurance and conversed with Guy Somerset.  There was the distinct feeling that this is undoubtedly second nature to him, that ‘daunted’ is a word absent in his vocabulary.

To my delight, as a recently completed Masters student myself, the pair moved on to discuss his prior aspirations to academia.  Ben eloquently articulated the commonly held romantic view of the academic as a well informed, intelligent public speaker, eager to disseminate information for general public consumption so as to benefit those whom academic research is in essence developed for.  He spoke of how this view dissolved for Naparstek while in Baltimore and when he learnt of the opening for editorship at The Monthly he dove at the opportunity.

As the hour wore on I become infinitely more jealous of Naparstek and his efforts at plumbing the depths of the literary world.  He certainly puts us mere mortals to shame with his intellectual and journalistic vigour.  When the hour was over I was stirred to action, eager to put pen to paper or rather finger tips to the laptop, and record the hour that had just been.

Which lead me to dwell over Naparstek’s esteem, adulation even for journalist Janet Malcolm.  In the interview Naparstek discussed Malcolm as an instrumental and prominent journalistic figure personally.  He related to the audience his opportunity to interview her and his resulting confusion over Malcolm’s request to resist quoting verbatim and instead to quote the essence of the interview.  That said, this is the essence of Ben Naparstek: In Conversation.