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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing the period served in custody.

The announcement was made shortly after the ex-leader left prison as his appeal proceeds the court ruling for criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain political financing from the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he notes in a preview, indicating the book centers around his thoughts from isolation as opposed to extensive analysis of the packed and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The noise persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life grows stronger behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Recounting the Hardship

During his plea for freedom, the former leader was present via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who have made this difficult experience tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I didn’t expect that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It affects one on any prisoner due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural ex-leader of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is did he manage to read and critique the texts he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

He was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail in the city. Guards were stationed in an adjacent room.

Reports indicated that he consumed only yoghurts in prison because he feared meals provided may have been contaminated. He had facilities to prepare his own meals yet he declined, according to reports. Not known is if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings his safety would improve released rather than in custody. “There were death threats, listened to yells during nighttime and the urgent intervention next door during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody last month when the judiciary imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to secure election financing for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial set for the coming spring.