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Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account in the coming weeks called Notes from a Cell, detailing the period endured behind bars.

The revelation was made just 11 days after the former president left prison while his appeal proceeds his conviction for illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to secure election campaign funds linked to the government of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Solitary Musings

“Behind bars visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he notes in a preview, indicating the account centers around his reflections during solitary confinement as opposed to extensive analysis of the strained and troubled jail system in France.

“Silence escapes me, not present in La Santé, where noise is constant sound,” he states. “The din is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, one’s inner world is fortified while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

While appealing for release, he was present by video link from his cell, describing his time inside as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a trial I must endure. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark every inmate because it’s gruelling.”

First of Its Kind

Sarkozy, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII of France to experience jail.

Before entering jail he had said he intended to spend the period for authoring a memoir.

Reading Material

It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the three books he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail but escapes to exact retribution.

Prison Conditions

He was placed secluded for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in Paris. Security personnel occupied a neighbouring cell.

It was stated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside worried that any food might have been spat on. Options were available to prepare his own meals yet he declined, according to reports. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Defense Viewpoint

The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing security would be better out of prison compared to inside. “There were menacing messages, listened to yells at night and emergency responses in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Legal Proceedings

Sarkozy went to prison on 21 October after a French court imposed five years in prison on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire political donations for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for early next year.