In compliance with the regional ordinance calling for the "suspension of events or initiatives of any kind, of gatherings and of every form of assembly in public or private spaces", the event was cancelled.

Experimentation, quality, cross-pollination. And, from this year, sustainability too. The sixth edition of I Boreali Nordic festival builds on the founding spirit of publisher Iperborea to open up to other disciplines and become Impatto Zero^® through a partnership with LifeGate. From 27 February to 1 March 2020, in the now-familiar spaces of Milan's Teatro Franco Parenti, the programme will be packed. There will be conversations with writers from Northern Europe, as well as language workshops, children's readings, musical performances, themed brunches and film screenings.

"After small events dedicated to Northern European capitals in the early 2000s — the Caffè Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki and so on — in 2014 we decided to take the big step with the I Boreali event," publisher Pietro Biancardi explains to us, in the midst of preparations. "Organising a literary festival in Italy is certainly very hard work. You have to find funding, which is no easy task, ensure a consistently high quality of events, and coordinate the arrival of various authors and artists. Everything has to run perfectly. But it's worth it, because in recent years the appetite for festivals has grown in Italy. People are curious. We invest in their desire to discover."

Leggi anche: Voglio una vita… a Impatto Zero

"With the 2020 Milan festival, we will actually be taking another important step — the ecological one," Biancardi continues. The CO2 emissions generated by the festival will be offset through the creation and protection of over 21,000 square metres of growing forests in Madagascar. Through the Impatto Zero^® project, LifeGate has estimated the environmental impact of the event, taking into account energy and water consumption, logistics, set-up, promotional and communication materials, waste produced, and the travel of artists and visitors.

Iperborea, a story of exploration spanning more than thirty years

Iperborea was founded in 1987 by Pietro's mother, Emilia Lodigiani, yet the passion driving its editorial work and events remains unchanged. Biancardi, born in 1978, explains: "She began publishing Nordic writers she had discovered while living in Paris, who had not yet been translated into Italy. She filled a gap. With that same spirit, the entire Iperborea team continues to put forward works that have never appeared in our country, and that are, in a sense, a little special."

Decidedly outside the mainstream. Among the festival's guests will be Swedish writer and entomologist Fredrik Sjöberg, presenting his latest book "Mamma è matta, papà è ubriaco". Biancardi continues: "An author I'd urge no one to miss. His style is truly unique. More than the story itself, what matters — and what is wonderful — are his digressions. When we were evaluating his first work, "L'arte di collezionare mosche", we sensed its absurdity as a marvellous quality. After reading it, every one of us had formed a bond with that story."

Returning will be Bergsveinn Birgisson, the author LifeGate interviewed at the Festivaletteratura in Mantova, who gave us an unexpected portrait of his Iceland. And, to open the festival, Dutch author Jan Brokken will present "I Giusti", the story of Jan Zwartendijk, a consul in Lithuania who, during the Second World War, saved more than 8,000 Jews by helping them flee via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Yet another "Schindler" — the German industrialist who saved 1,200 Jews and to whom Steven Spielberg dedicated a multi-award-winning film — sidelined by History.

Leggi anche: La mia Islanda fra origini multiculturali e vichinghi moderni

For Biancardi, who "grew up inside the publishing house, surrounded by walls of books that left no room for furniture, and with a grandfather who had kept 10,000 of them in the cellar," a festival is an opportunity to welcome readers who already know you and trust your work, but also to reach those who know nothing about Iperborea. That is the beauty of cross-pollination: a young person drawn in by an evening concert may linger over what surrounds them.

These days, moments dedicated to young readers are indispensable: "Italians don't read much, but when they do, they do so with passion. And among the most passionate readers are children!" Can we hope for new generations that are more culturally engaged? "Yes," replies the publisher, who worked as an editor at il Saggiatore and as a freelancer before returning 'home', "but institutions must play their part, above all schools and universities."

Leggi anche: Frank Westerman, arginare la violenza con la parola è ancora possibile

In-depth exploration characterises all of Iperborea's work, and the publisher has rediscovered the value of the reportage with the "The Passenger" series. Each publication is dedicated to a country and sits halfway between a book and a magazine. "We love travelling, but we didn't want to publish tourist guides," the publisher adds. "In the Italian media landscape, there is no longer a newspaper that gives ample space to reportage — that tells you what life is like in a place, what is happening there, beyond the daily news. Personally, I find good things, but they're scattered. There is nothing structured."

Once again, a gap to be filled. From the via Palestro imprint, there have also appeared very long investigative reportages in book form. Among the most interesting: "I soldati delle parole" by Dutch war correspondent Frank Westerman, who also told LifeGate about the role of the mediator in emergency situations, hostage takings or terrorist acts. A journey through the complexity of the contemporary world, never losing sight of the ties to the more or less recent past. That, in the end, is the path along which Iperborea has been venturing for more than thirty years.