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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir next month titled Notes from a Cell, detailing his time spent in custody.

The revelation was made just 11 days following Sarkozy left prison as he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire presidential race money provided by the regime of former Libyan leader.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he reflects in an extract, implying the memoir is more about his thoughts during solitary confinement instead of wider commentary on the packed and crisis-hit French prison system.

“Silence escapes me, which is missing at the prison, where noise is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, inner life is fortified behind bars.”

Release Hearing: Sharing the Struggle

During his plea for freedom, the former leader participated remotely from a room in prison, depicting prison life as gruelling. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, showing great humanity, easing this nightmare bearable – because it is a nightmare.”

“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It has an impact every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as former head in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure in the French Republic to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time to compose an account.

Books in Prison

It is not certain did he manage to go through the volumes he took into prison: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated then breaks out to seek vengeance.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Security personnel were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated that he had eaten just yogurt while inside due to concerns any food might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Defense Viewpoint

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain every day during the incarceration, informed the court his safety would improve outside jail than inside. “There were death threats, has heard screaming after dark plus rapid actions in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

Sarkozy went to prison in late October when a Paris court gave him five years in prison for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure campaign funds for his presidential bid.

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