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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir in the coming weeks titled Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period endured behind bars.

The revelation came just 11 days after the ex-leader was released while he contests the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy in a case to secure election campaign funds linked to the regime of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he writes in an extract, indicating the memoir is more about his reflections during seclusion instead of wider commentary regarding the packed and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, not present in that facility, where there is a lot to hear,” he states. “The racket persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated via screen from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this difficult experience bearable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it due to its intensity.”

Unprecedented Situation

Sarkozy, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as former head in the European Union and the first leader since WWII of France to experience jail.

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

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the texts he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in the city. Guards were stationed in an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt during his stay due to concerns prison cuisine might have been spat on. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, according to reports. Not known is if he will detail meals during incarceration.

Legal Perspective

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer outside jail compared to inside. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells at night and the urgent intervention next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

He entered custody last month after a French court sentenced him to a half-decade term on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to secure political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial planned for early next year.