I conceived 'All Is Song' as a modernised, loosely interpreted version of Socrates's life.

Socrates, after all, could be an intensely annoying man, all the time questioning passers-by until they became exasperated.

What I always liked about Socrates was his insistence on questioning things for the sake of reaching some sort of clarity - even if it is only clarity about the gaps in our knowledge.

With 'All Is Song,' I tried to construct a very traditional narrative that pulls no tricks.

I made a decision when I started writing 'All is Song' to take the compliments I had for 'The Wilderness' and try to be confident and not overwhelmed by it.

Socrates was famously executed for his philosophical and political beliefs. I wondered what would happen if you had a similar character, who was so relentlessly questioning of everything? In a modern society, would we be any more or any less tolerant of that kind of character?