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March 3, 2009

Conrad Black in prison: granola, piano, and well-made coffee

By owenamos

Conrad Black, the former owner of The Daily Telegraph now imprisoned for fraud in the US, has told Canada’s National Post – which he founded – of his life behind bars.

Black, who still reviews books for various media, and has a book out in autumn, said in the email interview ‘there is no violence’in prison.

His daily routine involves granola for breakfast, ‘coffee well-made by Colombian fellow residents”, answering emails, playing piano, and tutoring fellow inmates.

On his social life, he said: ‘My circle hasn’t so much changed as expanded. The people I mainly see here are often not unlike people I might know outside.

‘I have also met many interesting people from a variety of backgrounds that were somewhat unfamiliar to me, but are no less interesting for that, and have been quite informative in some ways.

‘I have never had any difficulty getting along with people and I have had no unpleasant encounters here with anyone. These are all people looking forward to leaving and have an interest in not complicating or delaying their return to civil society.

‘There have been no hard lessons.”

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