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Nicolas Sarkozy plans a memoir next month named A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his time endured in custody.

This news emerged just 11 days following Sarkozy left prison as he appeals the court ruling related to criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure presidential race money from the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he notes in one passage, suggesting the account centers around his thoughts while in seclusion instead of extensive analysis regarding the overcrowded and struggling jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise persists relentlessly. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is strengthened in prison.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, he had appeared by video link from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who have made this nightmare tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It leaves a mark on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”

Unprecedented Situation

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

Before entering jail he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Books in Prison

It is not certain if he found the opportunity to read and critique the texts he took into prison: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to exact retribution.

Daily Reality

Sarkozy remained in solitary confinement to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards were stationed in the next cell.

It was stated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks during his stay because he feared any food might have been spat on. Although he had access for self-catering yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day during the incarceration, told the release hearing security would be better released than inside. “There were death threats, has heard screaming during nighttime and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began last month following a French court imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to obtain political donations for his presidential bid.

He maintains his innocence and is contesting the ruling, and a fresh trial set for early next year.