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The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn titled A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his time endured behind bars.

The revelation was made less than two weeks after Sarkozy gained freedom while he appeals the court ruling on charges of illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to obtain election campaign funds from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Solitary Musings

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in one passage, suggesting the memoir centers around his musings from isolation rather than wider commentary of the strained and troubled French prison system.

“I forget silence, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where there is endless commotion,” he continues. “The din unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is strengthened in prison.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy participated via screen from a room in prison, describing his time inside as draining. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It leaves a mark on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

He, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he mentioned he would use his time to compose an account.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the volumes he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, in which a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned later flees to take revenge.

Life in Confinement

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space roughly 100 square feet with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in Paris. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated his diet consisted just yogurt in prison due to concerns prison cuisine could have been tampered with. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if the memoir includes his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings security would be better out of prison than inside. “There were menacing messages, has heard screaming during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Legal Proceedings

Sarkozy went to prison last month after a Paris court sentenced him to a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to secure campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial planned for early next year.