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The ex-president of France plans a memoir in the coming weeks called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time served in custody.

The revelation was made just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom while he appeals the guilty verdict for criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire political financing linked to the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he reflects in a preview, suggesting the book will focus on his musings during seclusion instead of a broader observation on the overcrowded and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing at the prison, where there is endless commotion,” he adds. “The racket persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, one’s inner world is strengthened behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, he was present by video link from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who have made this ordeal bearable – as it truly is one.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he declared he would use his time to compose an account.

Books in Prison

It is not certain did he manage to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where a blameless person ends up incarcerated but escapes to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

He remained secluded for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at the correctional facility in Paris. Guards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

Sources mentioned that he had eaten only yoghurts during his stay because he feared any food could have been tampered with. Although he had access for self-catering but refused this, according to reports. Unclear remains if the memoir includes what he ate in prison.

Defense Viewpoint

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who visited his client every day while he was in prison, informed the court his safety would improve out of prison compared to inside. “He received menacing messages, listened to yells during nighttime plus rapid actions next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began last month after a French court sentenced him to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to acquire campaign funds for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for the coming spring.