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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a personal account this autumn titled A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time endured in jail.

The revelation came less than two weeks after the former president left prison as his appeal proceeds his conviction related to illegal collaboration connected to efforts to acquire presidential race money provided by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the account centers around his reflections during solitary confinement as opposed to a broader observation on the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, not present in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he adds. “The racket is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, the former leader was present remotely from his cell, describing his time inside as draining. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this difficult experience manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It affects one on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, set a precedent as former head of an EU country and the first leader since WWII from France to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus together with Dumas’s work the famous story, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail but escapes to take revenge.

Life in Confinement

He was held in solitary confinement to protect him in a space approximately nine square meters including private facilities at La Santé prison in the city. Guards occupied the next cell.

It was stated that he had eaten just yogurt in prison because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain every day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve released than inside. “There were threats against his life, listened to yells at night and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October when a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to obtain political donations during his election campaign.

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