I’ve come to love Richard Fidler’s “Conversations”. Like Andrew Denton, he just seems to like people and that comes through in the interviews. Even if I think I won’t be interested in the people he is interviewing, somehow he draws me into their stories.
That was the reason why I gave “Ghost Empire” a try. It is part travel memoir, Richard travelling through Turkey with his son Joe, and part history of the Byzantines. If you think that won’t thrill you, remember, it is written by a master storyteller.
I knew nothing about the Byzantines before I read this book despite the fact that I studied Ancient History at school. As Richard points out, it is a great big gap in the commonly studied history of the world. How strange that we all think of the Roman empire ending with the fall of Rome. Most Australians then don’t know about anything happening in that part of the world until the Gallipoli campaign.
The style of writing is readable and I loved the way Richard broke the stories up with anecdotes about his travels. He also drew in some fun little facts like the surprising Byzantine/Greek connection to the modern Nike brand.
The Empress Theodora is my new feminist heroine and I had never heard about her before. She used her influence to make rape a crime for the first time in history. Surely she deserves a place as one of the great lawmakers of all time.
I recommend this book if you are looking for something different to read even if you aren’t interested in history and this is a must read for anyone planning a trip to Greece or Turkey.
