The sixtieth anniversary of Gramsci's death has brought with it an explosion of interest in his life and work. The publications, conferences, seminars, lectures, and commemorative events all over the world have been too numerous to count. Nor has this interest been confined to the academic world. The Italian post office has issued a special commemorative stamp. Moreover, the Italian dailies and weeklies have been devoting innumerable pages to discussions of Gramsci's life and work, to polemics about the significance and present relvance of his ideas, and to coverage of the various activities related to the anniversary.
Thanks to the organizational efforts of the IGS-Italia, members of the International Gramsci Society will have the opportunity mark this anniversary with a three-day conference that will be held in Naples and on the island of Ischia in October. A letter from Giorgio Baratta with detailed information about the conference has been sent to all IGS members--it is also reproduced in both Italian and English in this Newsletter. Everyone is strongly encouraged to attend. In addition to a great deal of stimulating discussion, this conference provides us with an opportunity to make plans for the future development of the IGS.
The contents of this issue do not constitute a comprehensive record of the Gramscian activities and publications of the past year. They are indicative, however, of the widespread interest in Gramsci worldwide, of the diversity of approaches to contemporary issues that his ideas continue to inspire, and of the scholalry attention that his work continues to attract--in other words, they are a testimony to the continuing vitality of Gramsci's thought. One of the many impressive phenomena that deserves mention is the increased availability of Gramsci's writings. In Italy, Antonio Santucci, has edited an anthology of Gramsci's writings, a selection of Gramsci's journalism, and the text of Gramsci's only parliamentary speech-- these will make Gramsci's texts available to students and general readers. At the same time, work continues on complete critical editions of the Prison Notebooks in German and English--editions that will surely foster more rigorous studies and closer critical analyses of Gramsci's writings.
As interest in Gramsci continues to grow, it is important to cultivate networks for the exchange of information among individuals working in the field. We urge members to write to us about their work, to send us reports on conferences they have organized or participated in, to help us update the Bibliografia gramsciana, and to provide us with "news" and reports on issues and events of interest to other members. This issue would have been difficult to assemble without the collaboration of several individuals--especially, Guido Liguori, John Cammett, Frank Rosengarten, and Derek Boothman.