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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book this autumn titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his experience spent behind bars.

The revelation was made less than two weeks following Sarkozy left prison while his appeal proceeds his conviction related to unlawful coordination in a case to acquire presidential race money linked to the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“In prison one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, implying the memoir will focus on his thoughts while in solitary confinement instead of wider commentary on the strained and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, not present in that facility, where there is endless commotion,” he continues. “The racket persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is strengthened in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, he was present via screen from a room in prison, describing his time inside as exhausting. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who have made this difficult experience manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It affects one all who experience it due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

Sarkozy, who led the nation for a five-year term, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the first postwar leader of France to serve time in prison.

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

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is did he manage to review and analyze the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement to protect him in a cell approximately nine square meters including private facilities in the Paris jail in the city. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt while inside because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering but refused this, according to reports. Not known is if he will detail his dietary choices.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who saw him regularly every day during the incarceration, informed the court he would be safer released rather than in custody. “He has faced death threats, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison in late October when a French court gave him a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for next spring.