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The ex-president of France is preparing a book this autumn called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling the period spent in custody.

The revelation was made less than two weeks following Sarkozy left prison while his appeal proceeds his conviction for illegal collaboration in a case to obtain presidential race money provided by the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in a preview, indicating the book centers around his reflections while in seclusion instead of extensive analysis regarding the strained and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The noise unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world grows stronger in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated by video link from inside the facility, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, who are exceptionally humane, easing this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark every inmate due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first past president from the EU and the first postwar leader of France to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he would use his time to write a book.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to review and analyze the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where an innocent man ends up incarcerated but escapes to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison in the city. Security personnel stayed in a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks during his stay due to concerns meals provided might have been spat on. He had facilities for self-catering but refused this, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain every day throughout the jail term, informed the court security would be better released compared to inside. “There were death threats, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison in late October when the judiciary imposed five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to obtain election financing for his presidential bid.

He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for the coming spring.