🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Set to Write Prison Memoir Chronicling Two Dozen Days Incarcerated The ex-president of France will soon publish a book next month called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling the period endured in jail. This news emerged just 11 days after the ex-leader was released as he contests his conviction on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure election campaign funds from the leadership of the late Libyan dictator. Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts “Inside jail there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, implying the memoir is more about his reflections during solitary confinement rather than a broader observation on the overcrowded and troubled French prison system. “Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where one hears constant sound,” he continues. “The racket unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.” Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal While appealing for release, Sarkozy had appeared via screen from a room in prison, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this nightmare manageable – because it is a nightmare.” “I never imagined at this stage of life, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, extremely tough. It has an impact on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.” First of Its Kind The former president, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, became the inaugural ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated. Before entering jail he declared he would use his time to compose an account. Cell Library It is not certain whether he had time to read and critique the three books he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, in which a blameless person ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge. Life in Confinement The former leader was placed in isolation for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail located in the capital. Guards stayed in a neighbouring cell. Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay because he feared any food could have been tampered with. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if the memoir includes what he ate in prison. Defense Viewpoint The legal representative, who saw him regularly daily during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “He has faced death threats, heard shouts after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.” Case Background He entered custody in late October when a Paris court gave him five years in prison for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to acquire election financing for his 2007 presidential race. He denies wrongdoing challenging the decision, and a fresh trial planned for the coming spring.