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The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir in the coming weeks named Notes from a Cell, chronicling his time served behind bars.

The announcement came just 11 days after Sarkozy gained freedom while he appeals the court ruling related to illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to acquire election campaign funds provided by the government of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Personal Reflections

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in one passage, implying the account centers around his musings while in solitary confinement rather than a broader observation of the overcrowded and struggling correctional facilities in the country.

“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where noise is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The noise persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, personal reflection is strengthened in prison.”

Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal

At his release request hearing, the former leader was present remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this difficult experience manageable – as it truly is one.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s an ordeal forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It has an impact every inmate as it’s exhausting.”

Historical Context

He, who served as France’s president for a five-year term, was the first former head from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to serve time in prison.

Before entering jail he declared he intended to spend the period to write a book.

Books in Prison

It is not certain whether he had time to review and analyze the three books he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated but escapes to take revenge.

Life in Confinement

He was held in solitary confinement for his own security in a cell roughly 100 square feet including private facilities at La Santé prison in Paris. Guards stayed in an adjacent room.

Reports indicated his diet consisted solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared any food might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but refused this, as per accounts. It is uncertain if he will detail what he ate in prison.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, who visited his client daily while he was in prison, informed the court security would be better released rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, listened to yells during nighttime and emergency responses in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

He entered custody in late October following a French court imposed a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain political donations for his 2007 presidential race.

He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, with a new trial set for next spring.