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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a memoir this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his experience served behind bars.

The announcement emerged just 11 days after Sarkozy left prison as he contests the guilty verdict for unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to acquire political financing from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings

“In prison there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, suggesting the book is more about his thoughts from isolation instead of extensive analysis of the overcrowded and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing in that facility, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The racket unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, inner life is fortified while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy participated remotely from inside the facility, depicting prison life as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this ordeal tolerable – as it truly is one.”

“I never imagined at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship I must endure. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It has an impact on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

Historical Context

Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as former head from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure of France to serve time in prison.

Ahead of his incarceration he declared he intended to spend the period to compose an account.

Cell Library

Unconfirmed is whether he had time to read and critique the volumes he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail later flees to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a room of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated that he had eaten just yogurt during his stay worried that meals provided might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering but refused this, as per accounts. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about what he ate in prison.

Defense Viewpoint

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day during the incarceration, informed the court security would be better outside jail than inside. “He received threats against his life, heard shouts during nighttime and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

He entered custody in late October when the judiciary imposed a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges related to a plan to acquire campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial is scheduled for next spring.