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The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir next month called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his experience spent behind bars.

The revelation came less than two weeks following the former president was released as his appeal proceeds his conviction for illegal collaboration connected to efforts to obtain election campaign funds provided by the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“In prison visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in an extract, implying the memoir will focus on his reflections from solitary confinement rather than a broader observation regarding the strained and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The noise persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger behind bars.”

Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, he was present remotely from his cell, depicting prison life as draining. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who have made this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It leaves a mark all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

The former president, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, became the inaugural former head in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to experience jail.

Prior to imprisonment he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Reading Material

It remains unclear did he manage to read and critique the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the famous story, in which a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy remained secluded for his own security in a cell approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at La Santé prison in Paris. Two bodyguards were stationed in an adjacent room.

Reports indicated that he had eaten just yogurt while inside worried that prison cuisine could have been tampered with. He had facilities for self-catering yet he declined, according to reports. Not known is whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Defense Viewpoint

His attorney, who saw him regularly each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings security would be better outside jail compared to inside. “There were death threats, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Case Background

His incarceration began in late October following a Paris court imposed a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire election financing for his presidential bid.

He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and another court case set for the coming spring.