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The ex-president of France is preparing a book next month named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period served in custody.

The announcement emerged just 11 days following Sarkozy left prison as he appeals his conviction for criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire election campaign funds linked to the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he writes in an extract, indicating the account will focus on his thoughts during isolation rather than wider commentary on the overcrowded and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“I forget silence, which is missing at the prison, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The racket persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is strengthened behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship

During his plea for freedom, the former leader was present by video link from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He had told the court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, easing this nightmare bearable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as former head from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he had said he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Books in Prison

It remains unclear whether he had time to read and critique the three books he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where an innocent man is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was held in isolation to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in Paris. Security personnel were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt while inside because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. Although he had access to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

The legal representative, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, told the release hearing security would be better out of prison compared to inside. “He received threats against his life, has heard screaming during nighttime and emergency responses in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody on 21 October following a French court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration over a scheme to acquire election financing for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for early next year.