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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a personal account next month called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his experience served behind bars.

The revelation came just 11 days following the ex-leader was released while he appeals his conviction on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure political financing from the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“In prison one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, implying the memoir will focus on his reflections during isolation rather than wider commentary of the packed and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“I forget silence, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The racket is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

During his plea for freedom, he was present by video link from a room in prison, describing his time inside as draining. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – as it truly is one.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark every inmate due to its intensity.”

Historical Context

He, who served as France’s president from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

Prior to imprisonment he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the texts he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to seek vengeance.

Prison Conditions

The former leader remained secluded for his own security in a room approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in Paris. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated that he had eaten only yoghurts in prison worried that any food may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, as per accounts. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

The legal representative, who visited his client every day during the incarceration, told the release hearing security would be better released than inside. “He received menacing messages, listened to yells at night plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began in late October following a Paris court imposed five years in prison for illegal collaboration related to a plan to obtain election financing during his election campaign.

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