🔗 Share this article The Former French President Set to Write Prison Memoir Detailing His 20 Days In Custody The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling his time served in jail. The announcement was made less than two weeks following the former president gained freedom as his appeal proceeds the guilty verdict for unlawful coordination in a case to acquire election campaign funds linked to the government of former Libyan leader. Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections “Behind bars visibility is limited, and nothing to do,” he writes in a preview, indicating the memoir is more about his musings during isolation as opposed to wider commentary of the overcrowded and troubled correctional facilities in the country. “Silence escapes me, which is missing in La Santé, where noise is endless commotion,” he adds. “The racket persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is strengthened while incarcerated.” Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship At his release request hearing, he was present by video link from a room in prison, depicting prison life as exhausting. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal manageable – because it is a nightmare.” “I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark every inmate due to its intensity.” First of Its Kind He, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the first leader since WWII of France to be incarcerated. Before entering jail he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to write a book. Books in Prison It remains unclear whether he had time to go through the texts he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts together with Dumas’s work The Count of Monte Cristo, where an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to take revenge. Prison Conditions He remained in isolation for his own security in a room roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in Paris. Security personnel stayed in an adjacent room. Sources mentioned his diet consisted only yoghurts in prison worried that prison cuisine could have been tampered with. Options were available to cook for himself but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains if the memoir includes meals during incarceration. Legal Perspective His attorney, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, told the release hearing security would be better released rather than in custody. “He has faced threats against his life, has heard screaming during nighttime plus rapid actions next door as a detainee harmed themselves.” Case Background He entered custody on 21 October after a French court sentenced him to five years in prison for criminal conspiracy in connection with efforts to secure campaign funds for his presidential bid. He disputes the charges challenging the decision, and a fresh trial is scheduled for early next year.