🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Prison Memoir Detailing Two Dozen Days Incarcerated Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a book in the coming weeks named Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time endured in jail. This news was made shortly following the ex-leader gained freedom as he appeals his conviction on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to obtain presidential race money from the leadership of former Libyan leader. Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts “Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, indicating the memoir will focus on his reflections from solitary confinement instead of a broader observation on the strained and crisis-hit jail system in France. “I forget silence, which is missing at the prison, where one hears endless commotion,” he adds. “The noise unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is strengthened in prison.” Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship During his plea for freedom, the former leader was present remotely from a room in prison, depicting prison life as draining. He had told the court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, showing great humanity, and who helped make this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.” “I never imagined that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It has an impact all who experience it as it’s exhausting.” Historical Context He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, was the first former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure of France to experience jail. Prior to imprisonment he had said he intended to spend the period to write a book. Cell Library It remains unclear did he manage to read and critique the texts he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to seek vengeance. Life in Confinement He was held in isolation for his own security in a room roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom in the Paris jail in Paris. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room. It was stated that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. Although he had access to cook for himself but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. Not known is if the memoir includes his dietary choices. Legal Perspective The legal representative, who saw him regularly every day during the incarceration, stated during proceedings his safety would improve outside jail rather than in custody. “There were death threats, heard shouts at night and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.” Legal Proceedings Sarkozy went to prison last month after a French court gave him a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to acquire political donations for his 2007 presidential race. He disputes the charges challenging the decision, with a new trial is scheduled for early next year.