Antonio Gramsci was one of the most important intellectuals of the twentieth century. He and his peers formed the Italian Communist Party, for which he was a member of the Italian parliament. Detained by Mussolini's fascist government in 1926, he was condemned to twenty years in prison. Gramsci's ill health worsened due to his poor treatment in prison and he died in 1937 after spending his final years in hospital. He wrote the greater part of his work and many letters to his wife, Giulia, and his sons, Delio and Giuliano, whilst in prison.