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Nicolas Sarkozy will soon publish a memoir next month called Notes from a Cell, chronicling his time served behind bars.

This news was made just 11 days after the former president gained freedom while he appeals the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy in a case to secure presidential race money provided by the leadership of former Libyan leader.

Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts

“In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he writes in a preview, indicating the book will focus on his reflections from isolation instead of wider commentary of the overcrowded and troubled correctional facilities in the country.

“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where noise is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise unfortunately never stops. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Court Appearance: Sharing the Struggle

While appealing for release, the former leader was present remotely from a room in prison, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute the correctional officers, showing great humanity, and who helped make this difficult experience manageable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It has an impact all who experience it because it’s gruelling.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, became the inaugural former head of an EU country and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Ahead of his incarceration he had said he would use his time for authoring a memoir.

Books in Prison

It remains unclear whether he had time to review and analyze the texts he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books together with Dumas’s work the famous story, a plot where a blameless person is sentenced to jail then breaks out to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

He was placed in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet in the Paris jail located in the capital. Security personnel were stationed in an adjacent room.

Sources mentioned that he consumed only yoghurts during his stay because he feared any food might have been spat on. Options were available to cook for himself but refused this, as per accounts. It is uncertain if the memoir includes his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain every day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve out of prison than inside. “He received threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark and emergency responses in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Legal Proceedings

He entered custody on 21 October following a French court sentenced him to a half-decade term for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure campaign funds during his election campaign.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial is scheduled for the coming spring.