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The ex-president of France will soon publish a personal account in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time spent in jail.

The announcement was made less than two weeks after Sarkozy left prison as he contests the court ruling related to unlawful coordination in a case to secure political financing provided by the regime of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he writes in one passage, suggesting the account centers around his thoughts from isolation as opposed to a broader observation of the packed and troubled jail system in France.

“I forget silence, not present in that facility, where one hears a lot to hear,” he adds. “The noise is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship

During his plea for freedom, he had appeared remotely from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who helped make this ordeal 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. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

Sarkozy, who led the nation for a five-year term, was the first past president from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to serve time in prison.

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

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the volumes he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was held in isolation due to safety concerns in a space roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel stayed in an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt in prison due to concerns any food could have been tampered with. Options were available for self-catering but he turned this down, as per accounts. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Defense Viewpoint

His attorney, who visited his client each day during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “There were death threats, listened to yells during nighttime and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”

Case Background

He entered custody last month when the judiciary gave him five years in prison for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to secure political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial set for next spring.