Ippolito Desideri

Articles in various journals. 2004-2006

Another sign of reawakening interest in Ippolito Desideri consisted of requests for contributions to various journals, starting with the Xaverian Missionaries’ monthly journal, “Missione Oggi” (October 2004): Ippolito Desideri, il Marco Polo del Tibet [reprinted in 'Quaderno di Viaggio' by "Avventure nel Mondo" (Adventures in the World): Tibet. Quaderno di viaggio d’autore, La Bottega del Caffè Letterario, Rome, 2007, pp. 355-359]. This was followed by essays in the other journals: the bi-monthly journal of the Istituto Geografico Militare, “L’Universo”: Il contributo di Ippolito Desideri alla conoscenza geografica (Desideri’s contribution to geographical knowledge, twenty pages with four maps and itinerary tables; the article was also printed as an offprint); “Appunti di Viaggio” (January-February, March-April, May-June 2006: Ippolito Desideri e il primo confronto tra cristianesimo e buddhismo, text of the lecture held at the 'Maritain' Cultural Centre in Pistoia); for “Bullettino Storico Pistoiese” (2006, Riflessioni su un missionario pistoiese troppo a lungo sottovalutato, a revision, with additional notes, of the lecture held at the Gabinetto Vieusseux in Florence); and for the quarterly Buddhist journal for practice and dialogue, “Dharma” (April 2007, Sulle orme di Ippolito Desideri. Primo confronto Occidente e Tibet).

The four-monthly religious science journal “Religioni e Società” (editor Arnaldo Nesti) contributed to the topic with an interview, Dialogo con Enzo Gualtiero Bargiacchi su p. Ippolito Desideri s.j (Dialogue with E.G. Bargiacchi about Fr. I. Desideri s.j.), by Tiziana Chiappelli, May-August 2005.; in the same journal, the developments of this “Desideri Project” were subsequently reported in Arnaldo Nesti’ editorial column [a. XXI, n. 56, September-December 2006 (Forme e volti del buddismo contemporaneo), pp. 3-6: 5-6].