Congratulations on the release of ‘Ghost Empire’! For readers who have not yet had the pleasure, can you give us a hint as to what they can expect from the book?
It’s a book that intertwines two stories: the bigger part is a history of the spectacularly colourful Byzantine empire, based around the medieval city of Constantinople; a story which has been largely forgotten in the West. The other part is the journey I took with my 14-year-old son Joe to discover the ghost of Byzantium that lies under the skin of modern-day Istanbul.

What is it about the Byzantine empire in particular that captivates you?
It’s the rich collection of stories and characters that appear within its 1100 year history. There are psychopathic emperors, a clockwork tree, the clash of civilisations, ruthless empresses, Crusaders, plagues, Vikings and a floating nun. Above all I was fascinated by the medieval mindset: the people of Constantinople believed they were the central actors in a great cosmic drama. They thought if their city was overrun by foreign invaders, it would mean the end of the world – and in a way, they were right.

Can you remember the point when it turned from a casual fondness into something greater that you had to explore?
It was when I first came upon the dramatic story of the final siege of Constantinople, the fall of the city to the Ottoman Turks, who arrived at the city walls with a vast army and the biggest cannon in the world. I thought at the time – and still do – it was one of the strangest and most moving stories I’d ever heard. The fall of the city was a pivot on which the future direction of the whole world was re-directed.

You took a trip to Istanbul with your son in 2014, what was the most surprising thing you learnt on that adventure?
At the time I justified the trip as a coming-of-age, father-son adventure. In Jewish and Aboriginal culture there are ancient ceremonies to mark a child’s entry into adolescence. We Anglo-Irish Australians have no such rituals. But Joe loves history as much as I do, and I thought the trip would be a wonderful way to introduce him to the ancient and medieval world. Afterwards I learnt that the Bah Mitzvah ceremony is not so much for the benefit of the kid, but for the parents, to help them get used to the idea that their child is no longer a helpless baby and will one day be leaving the family home. In the same way, this coming-of-age adventure with Joe turned out to be at least as much for my benefit as his.

Did your experience with your long-running (and wildly popular) radio segment Conversations with Richard Fidler assist in unearthing stories for the book?
Yes. Making this kind of radio show is so often about creating a kind of sympathy between people who live very different lives from each other. In much the same way I hope my readers will be able to inhabit the lives of a people who lived a thousand years ago in the most beautiful city in the world. At first glance their lives seem incredibly strange to us. But in many ways they were just like us – bewildered people living through tumultuous times, trying to make sense of the world with limited information.

Through the program you’ve connected with people from all walks of life from prime ministers to prisoners, has there been one in particular that will stay with you for life?
Most recently it was a conversation with an academic who, for most of his life, was homeless. For a decade he lived like a hermit in a forest, mostly living off what he could catch. I found the story of his long journey back into the world terribly moving.

You’ve donned many hats throughout an incredible career that spans radio, written word and even comedy. What are you most proud of?
Most of the time I’m not so much trying to make stuff I’m proud of, but stuff I can live with. Honestly, the moments when I’m most satisfied with my work is when I can come home and play the podcast of my show to my family over dinner – and they don’t ask me to turn it off.

What’s next for Richard Fidler?
Aside from working on Conversations, I’ll be going back to Iceland in December with my friend Kari Gislason to finish work on another book about the sagas of Iceland. The last time we went was in high summer. I expect I’ll have to dress a bit warmer this time.

Richard Fidler will be at Byron Writers Festival in conversation with Rosemarie Milsom on Sunday August 7, Fatherhood with David Leser on Sunday August 7 and Bearing Witness: The Power of Story with Angela Flournoy and Debra Oswald on Saturday August 6.