Antonio Francesco Gramsci (1891 — 1937) was an Italian Marxist philosopher, journalist, literary critic, linguist, historian, and politician. He wrote extensively on political theory, sociology, anthropology, history, and linguistics. Gramsci was elected as a deputy for the Italian Communist Party and spent eight years in prison under Mussolini's orders.

From the period of his imprisonment, two important works emerged: " Prison Notebooks" and "Prison Letters," containing messages written to relatives or friends, which were later compiled for publication. The prison letters of Antonio Gramsci constitute a valuable key to understanding his thought. They also reveal the man Antonio Gramsci, with his doubts and certainties, fears, and suffering due to the forced distance from his family.