Torsten Hoffmann: Fact and fiction – interviews from a literary perspective

The interview genre first appeared in 19^th-century newspapers and became a popular feature of new media in the 20^th century. Today, it is one of the most successful media formats. Scientific research interviews established themselves parallel to journalistic interviews, and interviews have been used in literature as a playful way of telling a story, for over 100 years. In all these fields, it is important to understand that interviews are artificial conversations that allude to authenticity – interviews make a point of their own non-authenticity. The lecture and exercises use examples that focus systematically on the question of what differentiates this kind of texts and how fact and fiction mix in this genre, although interviews should be about the truth.

Public lecture as part of the SQ Seminars Artificial Intelligence and us – the roles of scientific communication.