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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a book this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his experience served in custody.

The revelation was made less than two weeks after Sarkozy was released while he contests the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy in a case to obtain political financing provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, suggesting the account will focus on his musings during seclusion instead of wider commentary regarding the overcrowded and troubled jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The din persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, the former leader participated by video link from his cell, describing his time inside as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It affects one on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to experience jail.

Prior to imprisonment he declared he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to read and critique the volumes he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement to protect him in a room approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at La Santé prison in the city. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison worried that prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, as per accounts. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who visited his client each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better released than inside. “There were menacing messages, listened to yells at night plus rapid actions next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

He entered custody in late October when a French court gave him five years in prison on conspiracy charges related to a plan to secure election financing for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for early next year.