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The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period spent in jail.

The announcement was made less than two weeks following Sarkozy was released as his appeal proceeds his conviction for unlawful coordination connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds provided by the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in an extract, indicating the memoir will focus on his reflections while in isolation as opposed to extensive analysis of the overcrowded and troubled French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he states. “The din persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is fortified behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, he was present via screen from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He had told the court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this difficult experience tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural former head in the European Union and the first postwar leader from France to serve time in prison.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he would use his time to compose an account.

Reading Material

It is not certain did he manage to review and analyze the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, in which an innocent man is imprisoned but escapes to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

The former leader was held in isolation due to safety concerns in a room approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison in the city. Security personnel occupied an adjacent room.

It was stated that he had eaten only yoghurts while inside due to concerns prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Although he had access for self-catering yet he declined, as per accounts. Not known is if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

The legal representative, who saw him regularly each day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve out of prison rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison in late October when the judiciary imposed a half-decade term on conspiracy charges over a scheme to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case is scheduled for early next year.