To Live Is to Resist: The Life of Antonio Gramsci - Hardcover

by Jean-Yves Frétigné (Author), Laura Marris (Translator), Nadia Urbinati (Foreword by)

This in-depth biography of Italian intellectual Antonio Gramsci casts new light on his life and writing, emphasizing his unflagging spirit, even in the many years he spent in prison.

One of the most influential political thinkers of the twentieth century, Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) has left an indelible mark on philosophy and critical theory. His innovative work on history, society, power, and the state has influenced several generations of readers and political activists, and even shaped important developments in postcolonial thought. But Gramsci's thinking is scattered across the thousands of notebook pages he wrote while he was imprisoned by Italy's fascist government from 1926 until shortly before his death.

To guide readers through Gramsci's life and works, historian Jean-Yves Fr tign offers To Live Is to Resist, an accessible, compelling, and deeply researched portrait of an extraordinary figure. Throughout the book, Fr tign emphasizes Gramsci's quiet heroism and his unwavering commitment to political practice and resistance. Most powerfully, he shows how Gramsci never surrendered, even in conditions that stripped him of all power--except, of course, the power to think.

Author Biography

Jean-Yves Frétigné is maître de conférences in the Department of History at the University of Rouen in Normandy, France. He is the author of several books published in French and Italian. This is his first book published in English. Laura Marris is a poet, essayist, and translator. Her recent translations include Albert Camus's The Plague, Geraldine Schwarz's Those Who Forget, and Louis Guilloux's Blood Dark.