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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time served behind bars.

The announcement came less than two weeks after the former president gained freedom as he appeals the guilty verdict related to unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to secure political financing provided by the regime of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in a preview, suggesting the memoir will focus on his thoughts from isolation instead of extensive analysis of the packed and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he adds. “The din persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is fortified in prison.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy was present remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as draining. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who have made this difficult experience manageable – as it truly is one.”

“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It has an impact all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

He, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader in the European Union and the first postwar leader in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Cell Library

It remains unclear did he manage to read and critique the texts he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a blameless person is imprisoned then breaks out to take revenge.

Life in Confinement

The former leader remained in solitary confinement to protect him in a space of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in the city. Guards stayed in the next cell.

It was stated that he had eaten only yoghurts during his stay because he feared prison cuisine may have been contaminated. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily during the incarceration, told the release hearing his safety would improve outside jail compared to inside. “He received menacing messages, has heard screaming during nighttime and emergency responses next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody in late October following a French court gave him five years in prison for illegal collaboration related to a plan to secure campaign funds for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial planned for the coming spring.