PARIS: Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy may have mounting legal problems but his status as a top-selling author is not in doubt: his hastily written book about his recent prison experience has sold 100,000 copies in less than a week, according to his publisher.
The 70-year-old turned his three weeks behind bars in October-November into “Diary of a Prisoner” (“Le journal d’un prisonnier“) and has been on a nationwide tour to greet enthusiastic fans.
“’Diary of a Prisoner’ sold 98,610 copies in just a few days after its release in bookstores! A phenomenal number 1,” publisher Fayard wrote on social network X, citing sales figures from market research group NielsenIQ GfK.
The 216-page book recounts Sarkozy’s mundane struggles with noise and low-quality food, but has also made waves for its political message.
The former head of the right-wing Republicans party reveals a conversation with far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hints at a possible alliance between the traditional right-wing and Le Pen’s anti-immigration party.
“The path to rebuilding the right can only happen with the broadest possible spirit of unity, without exclusion and without anathema,” he writes.
Sarkozy was found guilty in September of seeking illegal funding from Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi for the campaign that saw him elected president in 2007.
He was sentenced to five years behind bars, but left La Sante prison in Paris after serving just 20 days, after a judge ordered his release with conditions.
He has been convicted in two other cases, one for illegal campaign financing and another for corruption and influence-peddling.
He and his wife Carla Bruni face another possible trial over allegations that they tried to bribe a key prosecution witness in the Libya campaign financing case with the help of a paparazzi boss.
They deny wrongdoing.
Since his one term in power, Sarkozy has become an influential backroom political player on the French right and a prolific writer of memoirs and books.
Recent offerings include “The Age of Combat” in 2023, “The Age of Storms” in 2020 and “Passions” in 2019.
French readers lap up Sarkozy’s prison diaries
https://arab.news/9y4k6
French readers lap up Sarkozy’s prison diaries
- The 70-year-old turned his three weeks behind bars in October-November into “Diary of a Prisoner“
- “’Diary of a Prisoner’ sold 98,610 copies in just a few days after its release in bookstores!” publisher Fayard wrote on X
Australian bushfires raze homes, cut power to tens of thousands
- PM Anthony Albanese said the nation faced a day of “extreme and dangerous” fire weather, especially in Victoria, where much of the state has been declared a disaster zone
SYDNEY: Thousands of firefighters battled bushfires in Australia’s southeast on Saturday that have razed homes, cut power to thousands of homes and burned swathes of bushland. The blazes have torn through more than 300,000 hectares (741,316 acres) of bushland amid a heatwave in Victoria state since the middle of the week, authorities said on Saturday, and 10 major fires were still burning statewide. In neighboring New South Wales state, several fires close to the Victorian border were burning at emergency level, the highest danger rating, the Rural Fire Service said, as temperatures hit the mid-40s Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit). More than 130 structures, including homes, have been destroyed and around 38,000 homes and businesses were without power due to the fires in Victoria, authorities said. The fires were the worst to hit the state since the Black Summer blazes of 2019-2020 that destroyed an area the size of Turkiye and killed 33 people. “Where we can fires will be being brought under control,” Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters, adding thousands of firefighters were in the field.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation faced a day of “extreme and dangerous” fire weather, especially in Victoria, where much of the state has been declared a disaster zone.
“My thoughts are with Australians in these regional communities at this very difficult time,” Albanese said in televised remarks from Canberra. One of the largest fires, near the town of Longwood, about 112 km (70 miles) north of Melbourne, has burned 130,000 hectares (320,000 acres) of bushland, destroying 30 structures, vineyards and agricultural land, authorities said. Dozens of communities near the fires have been evacuated and many of the state’s parks and campgrounds were closed. A heatwave warning on Saturday was in place for large parts of Victoria, while a fire weather warning was active for large areas of the country including New South Wales, the nation’s weather forecaster said. In New South Wales capital Sydney, the temperature climbed to 42.2 C, more than 17 degrees above the average maximum for January, according to data from the nation’s weather forecaster.
It predicted conditions to ease over the weekend as a southerly change brought milder temperatures to the state.
