El Gramsci periodista: una nueva lectura del pensador italiano. Análisis sobre sus columnas en Sotto la Mole en el periódico Avanti! (1915-1920)

Research carries out a qualitative analysis of his Italian intellectual’s news writing style when he was a columnist in Avanti!, central organ of the Italian Socialist Party between 1916 and 1920. With this purpose, we studied a corpus of 89 texts written for his column known as Sotto la Mole, gathered and translated by Sequitur publishing house and entitled Bajo la mole. The unrest which motivates the present work is the lack of analysis about his journalistic facetin contrast with the wide amount of studies about his political philosophy raised in his Notes from Prison.This paper is divided into four parts: a) a brief analysis in which the thinker’s work is revised, b) a biographical account about his journalistic career, c) his theoretical exposition about journalism in his Notes from Prison and d) a journalistic analysis of the articles written in his column Sotto la mole. Gramscian-style is extremely subjective and ironical. First, second, and third persons are constantly intercalated. His columns continually interpellate. He uses rhetoric questions and exclamation marks. He gets outraged and angry: his pen is piercing and aggressive. He always finds an enemy to whom he can direct his criticism. His most discussed topics are socialism, capitalism and religion. To a less extent, he questions the police and stands up for thieves on the grounds of social justice. Gramsci´s interest for history is notorious: he will develop this topic deeper during his prison stage. Anticipating schools of criticism, he will criticize journalism and the media, especially the Corriere della Sera. Going back to the question of why more importance has been given to his Notes from prison rather than to his journalistic stage, the answer is simple: Gramsci as a journalist is not brilliant, but he envisions a brilliant future.