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The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time served behind bars.

The revelation came shortly following the former president was released while his appeal proceeds his conviction for criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain political financing from the government of the late Libyan dictator.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he reflects in a preview, indicating the account centers around his thoughts while in seclusion rather than a broader observation on the overcrowded and troubled jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing at the prison, where there is endless commotion,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger in prison.”

Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, the former leader was present remotely from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He had told the court: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who helped make this nightmare manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It affects one all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”

Unprecedented Situation

He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural past president of an EU country and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he would use his time to compose an account.

Books in Prison

It is not certain did he manage to go through the volumes he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, where a blameless person is sentenced to jail later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

The former leader remained secluded to protect him in a space of about nine sq metres including private facilities in the Paris jail located in the capital. Security personnel occupied a neighbouring cell.

Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay due to concerns prison cuisine may have been contaminated. Although he had access to prepare his own meals but refused this, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better out of prison compared to inside. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October when the judiciary gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to acquire campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He disputes the charges challenging the decision, and another court case planned for early next year.