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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a book in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his experience spent in jail.

The announcement was made shortly after Sarkozy gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the court ruling for criminal conspiracy in a case to obtain political financing provided by the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he writes in a preview, indicating the book will focus on his reflections during solitary confinement rather than wider commentary regarding the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is fortified behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, the former leader was present via screen from a room in prison, depicting prison life as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare manageable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader of an EU country and the first leader since WWII of France to serve time in prison.

Before entering jail he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.

Books in Prison

It remains unclear whether he had time to review and analyze the texts he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned later flees to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy remained in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in the city. Two bodyguards stayed in an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he consumed only yoghurts while inside because he feared any food might have been spat on. Options were available to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings his safety would improve outside jail than inside. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts after dark and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody last month after a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy in connection with efforts to acquire campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He disputes the charges challenging the decision, and another court case is scheduled for next spring.