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The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, detailing his time endured in jail.

This news emerged just 11 days after the former president left prison as he contests his conviction on charges of illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to acquire presidential race money linked to the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“Inside jail there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he writes in a preview, implying the account centers around his reflections during seclusion rather than a broader observation on the overcrowded and crisis-hit correctional facilities in the country.

“I forget silence, which doesn’t exist in that facility, where noise is endless commotion,” he continues. “The din is alas constant. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection grows stronger behind bars.”

Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal

While appealing for release, he was present remotely from his cell, describing his time inside as gruelling. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this nightmare bearable – since it’s deeply troubling.”

“It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial forced upon me. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, it’s very hard. It has an impact on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, who led the nation for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president from the EU and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to experience jail.

Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.

Books in Prison

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to read and critique the three books he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

He was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a cell approximately nine square meters with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison located in the capital. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell.

It was stated that he consumed just yogurt during his stay because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. Options were available for self-catering yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration.

Lawyer’s Statements

The legal representative, who visited his client daily during the incarceration, stated during proceedings security would be better outside jail than inside. “There were menacing messages, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions in a neighbouring cell as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

His incarceration began in late October when a Paris court gave him a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain election financing during his election campaign.

He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and a fresh trial is scheduled for next spring.