🔗 Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy to Pen Prison Memoir Detailing Two Dozen Days Behind Bars The ex-president of France plans a memoir this autumn named A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his experience served in custody. The announcement came just 11 days after Sarkozy left prison as he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of illegal collaboration connected to efforts to acquire presidential race money from the regime of former Libyan leader. Time in Custody: Personal Reflections “Inside jail one sees little, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, implying the account will focus on his musings while in seclusion as opposed to a broader observation of the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country. “I forget silence, not present at the prison, where one hears a lot to hear,” he adds. “The din unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is fortified in prison.” Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal During his plea for freedom, the former leader had appeared remotely from a room in prison, depicting prison life as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this difficult experience manageable – as it truly is one.” “I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, extremely tough. It leaves a mark every inmate because it’s gruelling.” Historical Context He, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, became the inaugural ex-leader in the European Union and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail. Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he intended to spend the period to write a book. Reading Material It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the texts he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned then breaks out to seek vengeance. Daily Reality Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement to protect him in a space approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in Paris. Security personnel stayed in an adjacent room. Sources mentioned his diet consisted only yoghurts during his stay due to concerns any food could have been tampered with. Options were available for self-catering but he turned this down, according to reports. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration. Legal Perspective Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain each day throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “He received threats against his life, heard shouts after dark and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell when a prisoner self-harmed.” Legal Proceedings His incarceration began on 21 October after a French court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to acquire election financing for his presidential bid. He disputes the charges and is contesting the ruling, and another court case is scheduled for the coming spring.