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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his experience endured in custody.

The revelation emerged just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom as he contests his conviction for illegal collaboration connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds provided by the government of the late Libyan dictator.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in a preview, suggesting the book is more about his thoughts during seclusion rather than a broader observation regarding the packed and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“I forget silence, not present in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life grows stronger behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, the former leader had appeared remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who have made this ordeal manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

Historical Context

He, who led the nation for a five-year term, set a precedent as ex-leader from the EU and the first postwar leader of France to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he intended to spend the period for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to go through the three books he took into prison: a life story of Jesus spanning two books together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.

Life in Confinement

He was held in isolation to protect him in a room roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards stayed in an adjacent room.

It was stated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks while inside due to concerns any food might have been spat on. Options were available to prepare his own meals yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily throughout the jail term, informed the court his safety would improve released compared to inside. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells during nighttime plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody last month following a Paris court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to acquire election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial set for the coming spring.