A historical biography of the Italian philosopher/politician Antonio Gramsci (1891-1973), considered one of the most important Marxist philosophers of the twentieth-century. As part of the Communist Lives series, Andrew Pearmain explores the life of Gramsci from his childhood, to his role in the newly formed Communist Party of Italy, and to his imprisonment and death in Turi di Bari, using recent archival research including material released by the Gramsci and Schucht family.

Andrew Pearmain has a PhD in Historyvfrom the University of East Anglia, UK. Andrew has previously published several articles and a book on Gramsci. Andrew was a member of the Labour Party, serving as a Norwich City Councillor for four years from 1999-2003, and is now associated with the Green Party though the think-tank Greenhouse. Now semi-retired, Andrew is a contributing editor to the art/fashion magazine Arena Homme Plus.