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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a personal account this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period spent behind bars.

The announcement came shortly after Sarkozy left prison while he contests the court ruling related to illegal collaboration in a case to acquire political financing provided by the regime of former Libyan leader.

Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections

“In prison one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he writes in an extract, implying the memoir will focus on his reflections during isolation instead of wider commentary of the strained and struggling jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears endless commotion,” he states. “The racket persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

At his release request hearing, he had appeared via screen from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this difficult experience bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, was the first past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he had said he would use his time to compose an account.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where a blameless person ends up incarcerated but escapes to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy remained in isolation for his own security in a cell of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards stayed in the next cell.

It was stated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared prison cuisine may have been contaminated. He had facilities to prepare his own meals but he turned this down, as per accounts. It is uncertain if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “There were death threats, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody on 21 October following the judiciary gave him five years in prison on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure political donations for his 2007 presidential race.

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