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The ex-president of France plans a personal account this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period served behind bars.

The announcement was made shortly after Sarkozy was released as he appeals the guilty verdict for unlawful coordination in a case to obtain political financing linked to the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, indicating the account centers around his musings from seclusion as opposed to a broader observation of the overcrowded and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“I forget silence, which doesn’t exist in that facility, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection grows stronger behind bars.”

Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, the former leader participated via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who helped make this ordeal tolerable – as it truly is one.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It has an impact all who experience it because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural former head from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the three books he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated but escapes to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

The former leader remained in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards occupied a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he had eaten only yoghurts during his stay because he feared meals provided could have been tampered with. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if the memoir includes his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, told the release hearing his safety would improve outside jail than inside. “He has faced menacing messages, heard shouts at night and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody on 21 October after a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to acquire political donations during his election campaign.

He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for early next year.