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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir next month called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time endured behind bars.

The revelation came just 11 days following Sarkozy gained freedom as he appeals the court ruling for unlawful coordination connected to efforts to secure political financing linked to the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he notes in a preview, implying the memoir is more about his reflections while in seclusion as opposed to extensive analysis of the overcrowded and struggling jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where noise is constant sound,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is strengthened behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from his cell, depicting prison life as draining. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this difficult experience bearable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

He, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was the first past president from the EU and the first postwar leader of France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

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, where a blameless person is sentenced to jail then breaks out to exact retribution.

Life in Confinement

Sarkozy remained in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards occupied an adjacent room.

It was stated his diet consisted just yogurt in prison due to concerns meals provided might have been spat on. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, according to reports. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

The legal representative, Christophe Ingrain daily throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve released compared to inside. “There were threats against his life, has heard screaming during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began in late October when the judiciary imposed a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy in connection with efforts to acquire election financing for his presidential bid.

He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial set for early next year.