This is a concise introduction to the life and work of the Italian militant and political thinker, Antonio Gramsci. As head of the Italian Communist Party in the 1920s, Gramsci was arrested and condemned to 20 years' imprisonment by Mussolini's fascist regime. It was during this imprisonment that Gramsci wrote his famous Prison Notebooks - over 2,000 pages of profound and influential reflections on history, culture, politics, philosophy and revolution. An Introduction to Antonio Gramsci retraces the trajectory of Gramsci's life, before examining his conceptions of culture, politics and philosophy. Gramsci's writings are then interpreted through the lens of his most famous concept, that of 'hegemony'; Gramsci's thought is then extended and applied to 'think through' contemporary problems to illustrate his distinctive historical methodology. The book concludes with a valuable examination of Gramsci's legacy today and useful tips for further reading. George Hoare and Nathan Sperber make Gramsci accessible for students of history, politics and philosophy keen to understand this seminal figure in 20th-century intellectual history.

George Hoare is an independent researcher and co-host of the Bungacast podcast. His books include The End of the End of History: Politics in the Twenty-First Century (2021; with Alex Hochuli and Philip Cunliffe) and Taking Control: Sovereignty and Democracy after Brexit (2023; with Philip Cunliffe, Lee Jones, and Peter Ramsay).

Introduction
Part I - Life
1. Antonio Gramsci, 1891-1937
Part II - Thought
2. Culture
3. Politics
4. Philosophy
5. Hegemony
Part III - Applications
6. Thinking through Gramsci in Political Theory: Left/Right and the critical analysis of common sense
7. Thinking through Gramsci in Political Economy: neo-liberalism with and without hegemony in Britain and France in the 1980s
Part IV - Legacy
8. Mapping Gramsci's legacy
Further Reading
Bibliography
Index