125

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The difficult encounter in Rome.

Mircea Eliade’s post-war relation with Julius Evola

– new letters and data –

Liviu BORDAȘ

New Europe College, Bucharest

Abstract: Our knowledge of the post-war relationship between Eliade

(1907-1986) and Evola (1898-1974) was based mainly on fifteen letters of

Evola, and on two recollections from Eliade’s journal and memoirs. The article

presents and discusses new data supplied by eight inedited letters of Evola and

four entries from Eliade’s unpublished journal. This data is corroborated with

Evola’s reviews of Eliade’s books, with the reciprocal quotations in their

works, as well as with various mentions from their correspondence with other

persons. The new information helps to draw a clearer picture of their epistolary

relation, re-established in September 1949, of their two encounters in Rome

(May 1952 and April 1955), as well as of the successive moments of fracture

between them (1955 and 1964). It also brings into discussion topics such as

yoga, esotericism, racism or fascism, which provide seed for further inquiry.

Keywords: Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola, inedited letters, unpublished journal,

visits to Rome, book reviews and translations, yoga, esotericism, fascism, racism.

1. From the five journal entries in which he mentions Julius Evola, Eliade

selected in his Fragments d’un journal (Paris, 1973, 1981, 1991) only the last one.1

It dates from July 1974, after he learned about the Italian writer’s death, but even

1 I would like to express my thanks to the curators of Special Collections Research Centre of the

University of Chicago Library for their kind help during my research of Mircea Eliade Papers

(M.E.P.) and for the permission to publish the letters appended to this article. I also thank

professor Mac Linscott Ricketts for providing copies of Eliade’s inedited journal and for

allowing me to quote from his English translation of it.

126

this one was not entirely published.2 The longest and probably the most interesting

of all, it evokes the story of his relationship with Evola. Eliade recalls the first letter

received from him after the war and the visit to his house in Rome, which he

thought to have happened in August 1949.3 The date of this first visit was already

questioned on various grounds. But, the most categorical and final rejection is

brought by the first mention of Evola in Eliade’s post-war journal. On 3 October

1949, he wrote: “J. Evola has written to me. He obtained my address from René

Guénon... How on earth can that be?!”4 It is evident from here that he couldn’t have

met the Italian writer on the summer of 1949.

Eliade’s first visit to Rome after the war took place in the month of July 1949,

with a return in September. From that moment till Evola’s death, he came again a

dozen of times, as attested by his journal: March 1950, March-April 1951, May

1952, April 1955, July 1957, September 1959, September 1961, August-September

1965, August 1966, September-October 1967, July-August 1968, August 1969.

There were other visits to Italy, but not to Rome.

In July 1949, wishing to renew his contacts with Eliade, Evola requested his

address from René Guénon. The French esoteric writer managed to obtain from

Mihai Vâlsan not only Eliade’s address in Paris, but also the address where he was

staying in Capri.5 However it seems that the information reached Evola only after

Eliade’s return to France (10 September).6

If their encounter happened during the first visit of Eliade to Italy after

renewing their contacts, it could have been only in 1950.7 He arrived in Rome on

21 March, invited by Giuseppe Tucci to give two lectures at Istituto Italiano per il

2 In the French version, the first to be published (Fragments d’un journal, II. 1970-1978, tr. by

C. Grigorescu, Paris: Gallimard, 1981, pp. 192-193), Eliade cancelled the last paragraph, as

visible in the typescript of the translator reported by Natale Spineto, Mircea Eliade, storico delle

religioni. Con la corrispondenza inedita Mircea Eliade - Károly Kerény, Brescia: Morcelliana,

2006, p. 34. It is also absent from the English version, translated from French (Journal, III. 1970-

1978, tr. by Teresa Lavender Fagan, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989, pp. 161-163). 3 M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. II. 1970-1985, ed. by M. Handoca, Bucharest: Humanitas, 1993, pp.

164-166 (165). 4 M. Eliade, Jurnal, 3 October 1949, M.E.P., box 15/4 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts).

5 Between 16 July and 1 September 1949 Eliade changed three addresses in Capri. M. Eliade,

Jurnal, 12 September 1949, M.E.P., ibidem. 6 René Guénon, Lettere a Julius Evola (1930-1950), ed. by Renato del Ponte, Carmagnola:

Arktos, 2005, pp. 100-101, 105 (2 August and 29 October 1949). 7 The same possibility was considered by Florin łurcanu, Mircea Eliade, le prisonnier de

l’histoire, Paris: La Découverte, 2003, p. 132, but at pp. 366, 488 he reasserted August 1949.

127

Medio ed Estremo Oriente, and stayed till the end of the month. Evola – who was,

since 1948, in a hospital in Bologna – came to Rome about the same time in order

to “renew various contacts and to see various persons”,8 but also to give a lecture at

Teatro Quattro Fontane on 19 March.9 Their encounter remains a possibility which

needs confirmation. To make things more complicated, in his memoirs Eliade

located the first encounter in April 1951.10

The earliest letter of Evola known to us,

dating from 15 December 1951, makes the possibility of a recent personal

encounter less probable. Indeed, the summary of their contacts, in the opening of

the letter, leaves little room for speculation.11

In the same journal entry of 1974 Eliade thought that the second and last visit

occurred in 1952 or 1953. But he contradicts himself again when he writes, at a few

paragraphs’ distance, that he had not seen Evola for ten or twelve years, i.e. since

1962-1964.12

The only visit to Evola whose date is attested by clear evidence – his own

letters13

– is from May 1952.14

Yet till now we had no conclusive proof in order to

decide whether it was the first or the second. If this was the first visit, the second

one could have happened only in 1955, 1957, 1959 or 1961. In fact, Evola started

to keep track of Eliade’s visits to the peninsula. In his letter of 8 March 1954, he

8 As he wrote in a letter of 30 March 1951 to the Italian poet Girolamo Comi: "Circa dieci giorni

fa ho fatto un «salto» a Roma dopo tanti anni, a riprendere vari contati e a vedere varie persone."

Lettere di Julius Evola a Girolamo Comi (1934-1962), ed. by Gianfranco de Turris, Rome: Ed.

Fondazione Julius Evola, 1987, p. 25. 9 Renato del Ponte, “L’attività pubblicistica politica di Evola negli anni del secondo dopoguerra

sino a «Ordine Nuovo»”, Convivium, Turin, V, no. 17, April-June 1994, p. 44n, quoted by

Gianfranco de Turris, “L’«Iniziato» e il Professore. I rapporti «sommersi» fra Julius Evola e

Mircea Eliade”, in Mario Bernardi Guardi and Marco Rossi (eds.), Delle rovine ed oltre. Saggi

su Julius Evola, Rome: Antonio Pellicani, 1995, pp. 219-249 (235). 10

M. Eliade, Memorii (1907-1960), ed. by M. Handoca, Bucharest: Humanitas, 1997, pp. 440-

441; English translation: Autobiography, vol. II, 1937-1960. Exile’s Odyssey, tr. by Mac Linscott

Ricketts, Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1988, pp. 152-153. He adds that he is not sure

about it, as he has lost the notebooks of the years 1949-1954. 11

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. I, ed. by M. Handoca, Bucharest: Minerva, 1993, pp.

276-278 (15 December 1951). 12

M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. II, op. cit., pp. 164-166 (164, 166); English translation: Journal, III.

1970-1978, op. cit., p. 161. 13

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. V, ed. by M. Handoca, Bucharest: Criterion, 2007,

pp. 350-352 (6 and 19 April, 25 May 1952). 14

Described in M. Eliade, Memorii (1907-1960), op. cit.

128

asks him whether he will come to Italy that spring.15

It would have been hard to

hide his visits to Rome from an active and well informed correspondent. The last of

these probable years, 1961, is close to the second – contradictory – statement of

Eliade, which situates his visit between 1962 and 1964.

Corroborating the three dates – 1949, 1952-1953, 1962-1964 – with the

impossibility of 1949 and the certainty of 1952, it remained a strong possibility that

the second encounter happened in 1961. However, if there was a first visit in 1950,

the one of 1952 would become the last visit, excluding therefore another one in the

coming years. Why Eliade didn’t mention the visits to Evola in his journal, while

he recorded the encounters with other Italian scholars, is another question which

needs a different kind of approach.

2. As we have seen, Evola’s first post-war letter to Eliade, containing an

invitation to visit him in Rome, dates from September 1949. But already before

receiving it, after his return from Capri, Eliade talked about the Italian writer with

one of his compatriots in Paris. In his journal of 20 September, Virgil Ierunca

(1920-2006) records how much they were amused by the fact that, in Evola’s new

book – which could be only Lo yoga della potenza (1949) –, Eliade is cited more

often than Heracles.16

He even mentioned the Italian in some recent articles.17

However, the first letter of Evola has not been found so far. The earliest known to

us is dated 15 December 1951. It is very probable that, in this period of over two

years, there were other exchanges too.18

15

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. V, op. cit., p. 357. 16

Virgil Ierunca, Trecut-au anii… Fragmente de jurnal. Întâmpinări �i accente. Scrisori

nepierdute, Bucharest: Humanitas, 2000, p. 86. “Eliade” and “Eracle” were consecutive entries in

the book’s index. Ierunca writes Heraclites (rom. Heraclit), but he visibly misunderstood the Italian

spelling of Heracles (rom. Heracle or Hercule). See J. Evola, Lo yoga della potenza. Saggio sui

Tantra, 2nd

ed. completely reworked, Milan: Fratelli Bocca, 1949, pp. 134n, 148n, 204n, 220n,

289n, 290n, 366n, 367n (citations of Yoga. Essai sur les origines de la mystique indienne). 17

In relation with Ernesto de Martino’s recent work on magic. M. Eliade, “Science, idéalisme et

phénomènes paranormaux”, Critique, Paris, III, no. 23, Avril 1948, pp. 315-323; idem, “Ernesto

de Martino, Il mondo magico. Prolegomeni a una storia del magismo, Torino, Giulio Einaudi

editore, 1948”, Revue de l’histoire des religions, Paris, 135, no. 1, 1949, pp. 105-108 (107). 18

In 15 December 1951, Evola refers to Eliade’s last letter from 1950. Mircea Eliade �i

corespondenŃii săi, vol. I, op. cit., pp. 276-278 (277). The fact that they re-established contact by

the end of 1949 reduces to nothing some speculations from Cristiano Grottanelli’s article “War-

time connections: Dumézil and Eliade, Eliade and Schmitt, Schmitt and Evola, Drieu la Rochelle

and Dumézil”, in: Horst Junginger (ed.), The study of religion under the impact of Fascism,

Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2008, pp. 303-314 (308-309). More unfounded speculations on Eliade

129

Evola’s post-war letters are preserved in Mircea Eliade Papers, at the

University of Chicago Library. Only fifteen of them, spanning from December

1951 to March 1954, have been published so far19

, but internal evidence indicates

missing letters in between. New research is likely to bring to light other pieces of

this correspondence.

During a recent period of field work in Chicago, without being particularly

concerned with Evola, we came across eight new letters of him. Four of them date

from October 1952 - January 1953 and are part of the intense exchange around the

Italian translation of Shamanism.20

The other four, dating from 1954, 1955 and

1962 respectively, are a continuation of those already published.21

They bring

considerable new data and help solve some of the unknowns of Eliade’s

relationship with Evola.

In the first letter (26 October 1952), Evola informs his Romanian

correspondent that the translation of Shamanism is almost half done. One of the

things we can infer from this epistle is that Eliade expressed his interest to shift the

Italian translation of Le mythe de l’éternel retour (1949) to “Fratelli Bocca”

publishing house of Milan, after learning that the Turin-based “Einaudi” abandoned

and Evola in his article “Mircea Eliade, Carl Schmitt, René Guénon, 1942”, Revue de l’histoire

des religions, Paris, 219, no. 3, 2002, pp. 325-356 (345-354). Very unreliable the references to

them in Steven W. Wassestrom, Religion after religion. Gershom Sholem, Mircea Eliade and Henry Corbin at Eranos, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999, pp. 44-47, 272, and Mark

J. Sedgwick, Against the modern world. Traditionalism and the secret intellectual history of the Twentieth Century, Oxford - New York: Oxford University Press, 2004, pp. 109-116, 189-192,

209-303, 321-322, which have influenced other recent writers on the subject. All these scholars,

ideological critics of the “Traditionalists”, are methodologically close to them in the way they

create relationships of unity, similarity or analogy between unrelated things. 19

Four letters were published in Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. I, op. cit., pp. 275-281

along with a pre-war letter (they appeared earlier, in Italian translation, in Mircea Eliade e l'Italia, ed. by Marin Mincu and Roberto Scagno, Milan: Jaca Book, 1987, pp. 252-257). Other

eleven letters, supplied by Mac Linscott Ricketts, were published in Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. V, op. cit., pp. 349-357 (nine of them appeared, with some omissions

and errors, in Archaeus, Bucharest, VI, no. 3-4, 2002 [2003], pp. 371-377), but they circulated

among scholars already in the ‘90s. Both editions are not free from errors. 20

Their existence was signalled to us in 2002 by Mac Linscott Ricketts, but their new location in

the archive was not known. See our article “Istoria doctorului Honigberger �i secretul unei

nuvele eliade�ti” (part II), Origins. Journal of cultural studies, Zalău, nr. 3-4, 2003, pp. 129-158

(154-155 n. 172). The last of them was mentioned by Florin łurcanu, Mircea Eliade, le

prisonnier de l’histoire, op. cit., p. 387 n. 20. 21

The last one was mentioned by Florin łurcanu, ibidem, p. 478, n. 7.

130

its intention to publish it. Instead of Le mythe, Evola renews his proposition

(expressed in the letter of 8 June22

) to publish an Italian translation of the revised

edition of Yoga, which Eliade engaged at “Payot” (and which will come out only

two years later, in December 1954). He also informs Eliade about the possibility of

publishing his books at a new Italian house, “Edizioni dell’Ascia” of Rome. But Le

mythe will appear much later, in 1968, at “Borla” of Turin.

In his turn, Eliade was trying to help Evola publish his books in Paris. After

unsuccessful attempts with “Payot” and “Laffont”, he introduced him to the owner

of “Librairie Véga”, a house specialised in books on occultism, esoterism and

“spirituality”, which also published some of René Guénon’s works.

From the second letter (17 November 1952) we can infer that Eliade agreed to

give the revised edition of Yoga to “Fratelli Bocca”. But, again, the Italian

translation of this book will be published much later, in 1973, by “Rizzoli” of

Milan. Evola asks here for bibliographical orientation on the subject of sexual

magic and orgiastic rites. This can be considered one of the initial moments in the

making of his Metafisica del sesso, published after six years.

In the third letter (16 December 1952), Evola confirms the reception of Eliade’s

recent book, Images et symboles (1952). The missive also gives an interesting glimpse

of the triangular relations between Eliade, Evola and Philippe Lavastine, an esotericist

and eccentric scholar of India, which Eliade met shortly after his arrival in Paris.

The most interesting letter as far as the translation of Shamanism is concerned

is the fourth one (13 January 1953). Evola acknowledges here that he “revised” the

Italian translation. In fact, he was the translator, under the pseudonym of Carlo

d’Altavilla. Consequently, he submits to Eliade five questions regarding the use of

some words and expressions, important in his scholarly vocabulary. Namely, he

proposes to translate “archaïque” as “primordiale”, to take “vocation” in the sense

of “choix, élection”, to translate “intégrer” as “integrato in un insieme” or as

“ripreso in un insieme”, to render “dialectique du sacré” in a more explicit way, and

to take “dieux passifs” in the sense of “dieux impassibles” or “dieux détachés”. In

respect to the last expression he adds that even Deus otiosus creates an equivoque

idea to those who ignore the positive meaning which otium had for the ancients.

It would be very interesting to know what Eliade replied to these suggestions.

Probably he was not happy with the first one and therefore preferred to abandon the

word “archaic” from the subtitle of the Italian translation.

22

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. V, op. cit., pp. 352-353.

131

3. The second group of four letters is less cohesive and represents only

scattered pieces of what must have been a larger correspondence.

With the fifth inedited letter (29 November 1954) Evola sends his review of

Traité d’histoire des religions, recently published in Italian by “Einaudi”. His

assessment of the book is very positive and the editors of the journal have extracted

in large typographic characters the following statement: “The work of Eliade has a

revolutionary character. It gathers the most meticulous documentation and adopts

new hermeneutical perspectives more adequate to this subject.” Concluding his

review, Evola adds that, although in its own field, Eliade’s work has an “explosive

character”, in fact it only restores a way of looking upon things which was normal

before the “devastations” typical of a certain dogmatism or of a certain specialized

research, modern and profane.23

In his letter Evola inquires about the stage of

publication of the new edition of Yoga and informs Eliade of the difficulties in

collecting material for Metafisica del sesso.

The most interesting of all these epistles are the sixth and the seventh. In the

letter of 6 October 1955, Evola thanks Eliade for his recent article Aspects

initiatiques de l’alchimie occidentale, published in the official organ of the Italian

Philosophical Society, Archivio di filosofia. Here Eliade quotes a couple of times

the first edition of La tradizione ermetica (1931). The article will be incorporated in

Forgerons et alchimistes (1956).24

Evola considered it “very interesting”, but was

quick in bringing some amendments concerning the “doctrine”. Since we are not

concerned here with the doctrinal aspects of alchemy as understood by Evola, we

leave for another occasion the interpretation of this interesting letter. It suffices to

remark the application of Eliade’s distinction between enstasy and ecstasy to

alchemy and mystery religions.

It is not unlikely that Evola didn’t enjoyed being cited in the company of C.G.

Jung, whose ideas he already opposed,25

just as he could have resented Eliade’s

inclination towards the Swiss scholar, who is referred to more often and more

23

J. Evola, “Storia delle religioni”, Roma, Naples, n.s., V, 19 November 1954, p. 3. In the

following months, he mentions Eliade in other articles. In “I miti del «Anno Nuovo»” (ibidem,

VI, 6 January 1955, p. 3) Evola refers to his researches related to the cyclical conception of time.

In a review of Aurobindo Ghose’s book Le secret du Veda (Paris: Cahiers du Sud, 1954), he

cites in his help Eliade’s “happy formula” that, for the mankind of the origins, “nature was never

natural”; East and West, Rome, VI, no. 2, July 1955, p. 167. 24

M. Eliade, Forgerons et alchimistes, Paris: Flammarion, 1956. Evola is mentioned at pp. 119,

133, 139, 176, and there are several more citations of his book in the footnotes. 25

And he communicated it to Eliade in his letters of 21 November 1953, 20 January and 8

March 1954; Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. V, op. cit., pp. 356-357.

132

sympathetically.26

As if the criticism of this article would have not been enough, he

informs his corresponded about a critical review of Yoga. Immortalité et liberté to

be published in East and West, the journal of Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed

Estremo Oriente, directed by Giuseppe Tucci.

The letter also brings an interesting detail which is likely to solve the question

of Eliade’s second visit to Evola. The Italian scholar mentions “our last Roman

discussion” in relation to some of his objection to Yoga. The book came out in

December 1954. This is strong evidence that they met in April 1955, on the

occasion of Eliade’s new visit to Rome. It is less probable that he referred to the

visit of May 1952, although they could have talked on that occasion about

Techniques du Yoga (1948). His phrasing leaves no doubt that he refers to a

discussion about the same book he reviewed. In the following letter Evola evokes

again this Roman encounter.

If this is true, than Eliade’s visits occurred on two consecutive occasions: May

1952 and April 1955, at a distance of three years, exactly how he remembered, but

with a chronological shift backward (1949 and 1952-1953). This backdating is very

common in Eliade’s memoirs and is also reflected by the recollections recorded in

his journal. It would be very interesting to know why he didn’t use the occasion of

his 1950 and 1951 visits to Rome in order to meet Evola. Why did he hesitate for

two years before making this step?

From the consecutive letter of 27 December 1955, we understand that Evola’s

review of Yoga was already published. He is anxious to know whether Eliade read

it. Et pour cause! His “critical remarks”, of which he informs his correspondent

twice, were considerably more than that. The presence of two copies of this review

in Eliade’s archive at Chicago27

is a proof that he read it.

In its opening, after a double critique of Western and Westernised Indian works

of divulgation, as well as of the “objective method” of scientific studies, Evola calls

the attention to a new approach of yoga by Western scholars, who are not merely

interested in “vague «spiritualism»”. As a first example he cites the collective work

edited by Jacques Masui, Yoga, science de l’homme integral (Paris, 1953). In

reality the volume brought together very heterogeneous authors, but Evola himself

was present in it with an extract from his Lo Yoga della Potenza (1949). A second

26

They were referred together also in M. Eliade, “Note sur Jung et l’alchimie”, Le Disque vert,

special number C. G. Jung, Paris - Brussels, 1955, pp. 97-109 (104-105). The reference to Evola

was not brought in the abbreviated note “C. G. Jung et l’alchimie”, appended to Forgerons et

alchimistes, op. cit., pp. 177-181. 27

M.E.P., boxes 45/1 and 120/9.

133

example of such an attitude, more comprehensive of the “depth dimension” of

yoga, is Eliade’s book.28

Evola makes the surprising assertion that the author’s special qualifications for

understanding yoga are not due to him having studied with Dasgupta and to having

spent time in a Rishikesh ashram (as Eliade always presented himself), but to

having acquired – before his departure for India – knowledge of certain

“metaphysical and esoteric doctrines”. For the Italian writer, Dasgupta and the

ashrams of Rishikesh were not authentic, but some kind of Westernised

counterfeits. He believes Eliade is not acknowledging his real debt because he is

“very anxious to keep in line with the academic world of the West”: he cites

hundreds of authors but only from those who enjoy “definite academic

recognition”. Evola wonders rhetorically whether “this does not conceal an attempt

to introduce a Trojan horse into the citadel of official culture”. Indeed, he thinks,

judging after the favourable and “unusually prompt” (sic!) reception of Eliade’s

books in the Western academic milieus, his effort has been met with success. A

success – he adds – not exempt from the “danger of «counter shocks»”.

It would be highly interesting to know what exactly he meant by this last

expression. Was he administering such a counter shock or was he preparing the

way for it? The esoteric doctrines to which he alludes are, no doubt, those

propounded by his own books and by those of René Guénon. An inaccurate fact, at

least from a chronological perspective, as prior to India Eliade knew only a few

marginal writings of the two authors. He read their major works at Calcutta.

After praising the book, in two sentences and 10 half-lines – those quoted in his

letter –, which come down to it’s being “the most complete” of all works on yoga

written so far, Evola hurries to make “some reservations” which extend over the

remaining five pages. It must be said however that not all these pages are filled

with reservations: they alternate with expositions of Eliade’s ideas and with Evola’s

acceptance of some of them (followed by a “but”).

We are dealing at large with this review in a special study dedicated to Eliade’s

reception as scholar of yoga. It suffices here to point to some of Evola’s criticism,

underlined by the assumption of having access to “the real essence of the traditional

wisdom of India” and of being able to explain it without recourse to Western

categories. He considers the earlier version of the book (Yoga. Essai sur les

origines de la mystique indienne, 1936) superior in some respects. How exactly?

28

J. Evola, “Yoga, immortality and freedom”, East and West, Rome, VI, no. 3, October 1955,

pp. 224-230.

134

Being less erudite, the book outlined more clearly “the essential points of

reference”, while the last version, in its aspiration to include everything, has

become “contaminated”, has lost its “purity”. This might well be a new allusion to

the supposed earlier “doctrinal” debt of Eliade to the metaphysicians of Tradition.

While making various reservations, Evola sends to his own books: La dottrina del

risveglio (1943), Lo yoga della potenza (1949), and Rivolta contro il mondo

moderno (19512). He does not miss the opportunity to shoot an arrow at C.G. Jung

too, surely on account of Eliade’s inclinations towards his ideas.

Still there is a point in which the earlier book is more objectionable: the

hypothesis of pre-Aryan origins of yoga, which is put by Evola – incredibly – in

connection with some earlier “enquirers with racial views”, suggesting therefore a

racist, “Aryanist”, background of the idea. What to say about his statement that

yoga should be considered “only as an integral part of Indo-European spirituality of

the purest kind”? The Italian concludes his review by questioning another

“prejudicial” idea of Eliade: that of addressing his book, not only to the specialist,

but also to the wide public, which may find in yoga solutions to the existential

problems of the modern West. In his view, a book on yoga which could exercise a

more direct influence on the contemporary man should be written in a completely

different way. How? From the position of an initiate addressing seekers for a path

to liberty/liberation.

This is hardly a favourable evaluation of the book. After two friendly reviews

(of Le chamanisme and Traité) in a daily newspaper,29

and a benevolent note (on Le

mythe) in Introduzione alla magia,30

Evola could finally pour out his grievances of

Eliade’s scholarly behaviour. And in a scholarly journal of Oriental studies directed

by Eliade’s friend, Giuseppe Tucci, who invited him regularly to lecture at the

Institute which published it.

Four years earlier he threatened Eliade, half-jokingly, for not giving credit to

those authors to whom Evola thought he was fundamentally indebted.31

The

moment of payback (Vergeltungen) has finally arrived. This is confirmed also by

the fact that, in the first part of his review, Evola makes public a private confession

29

J. Evola, “Il superuomo primitivo e l’«esperienza estatica»”, Roma, Naples, n.s., III, 10

February 1952, p. 3 (it is perhaps significant that Evola sent the newspaper cutting without its

title, M.E.P., box 118/12); “Storia delle religioni”, loc. cit. (M.E.P., box 121/1). 30

“Glosse varie”, in: Introduzione alla magia quale scienza dell’Io, a cura del Gruppo di UR,

vol. III, Rome: Fratelli Bocca, 1955; Le chamanisme is cited in all three volumes. Their

publication was, however, delayed to 1956. 31

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. I, op. cit., pp. 276-278 (15 December 1951).

135

of Eliade: the now famous “Trojan horse” (in his answer to the Vergeltungen

letter32

and, probably, in their two conversations in Rome).

The repeated reference in these new letters to their last encounter – April 1955

–, make us believe that the review is a more elaborate rehearsal of the discussion

around the book on that occasion. Eliade surely didn’t like it. And it wouldn’t have

been difficult for Evola to foresee his reaction. If he didn’t stop earlier to answer

the letters of his Italian colleague, this would have been certainly the occasion to do

it. If it is to believe Eliade, he took this decision only after the second Vergeltung of

Evola, when he recalled Eliade’s political sympathies of youth in his Il Cammino

del cinabro (1963).33

However, not only the letters from the end of 1955 but also

the last one of 1962 show an Evola writing missives with no answers.

The letter of 27 December 1955 offers more clues on this topic. Mircea and

Christinel lived, from October 1954 to June 1955, in the house of Dr. Roger Godel,

at Saint-Cloud. Evola knew it. It is probably there that he sent his letter of 29

November 1954 with the review of Traité. When Eliade left Rome, in April 1955,

he returned to the same address. Since Evola was not sure about the change of

address, it means that he stopped receiving his news sometime before June, when

the couple moved back to Paris.

From the same letter we learn that, on a previous occasion, Evola informed

Eliade about the difficulties of placing Yoga with an Italian publisher. These

obstacles seem to have been unsurpassable. Its translation will appear only in 1973,

under the editorship of Furio Jesi.34

What could have been the difficulties about

publishing it in 1955? Leaving aside the relative editorial crisis, the only serious

impediment would have been a bad sale of the existing translations of his works,

especially of Tecniche dello yoga (1952). Indeed, except for a reprint of Trattato di

storia delle religioni, in 1957, new translations will start to be published only from

1966 on. Le mythe de l’éternel retour, which Eliade was so anxious to see printed

in Italian, will appear in 1968.35

From this letter to the last one lay more than six years, during which we know

nothing of their relations. Eliade’s archive at Chicago preserves, along with the

reviews of Le chamanisme and Traité, sent by Evola, his review of Mythes, rêves et

mystères (1957), which we have reasons to suppose was also sent by the author

32

See Evola’s letter of 31 December 1951; ibidem, pp. 278-279. 33

M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. II, op. cit., pp. 164-166 (166). 34

M. Eliade, Lo yoga. Immortalità e libertà, ed. by Furio Jesi, tr. by Giorgio Pagliaro, Milan:

Rizzoli, 1973. 35

M. Eliade, Il mito dell’eterno ritorno, tr. by Giovanni Cantoni, Turin: Borla, 1968.

136

himself. Like the previous two, published in the same daily newspaper, it is a

benevolent assessment of the book, interested mainly by Eliade’s ideas about the

survival of myth in the modern world.36

One year later, in an exchange of letters with a former Legionary

“commandant”, Eliade expressed – in an uncharacteristic explicit way – his opinion

about the political position of Evola. The poet Vasile Posteucă (1912-1972), who

was working on a book about his “Căpitan”, asked for information about Evola’s

encounter with Corneliu Codreanu – in Bucharest, twenty years earlier – and his

opinion about him.37

Eliade quickly advised Posteucă not to use Evola’s testimony

in the book, as he was and remained a “racist” and a “Nazi”, his opinion being

therefore likely to create more confusion.38

At the end of that year Evola published

a new article in East and West, in whose footnotes he quoted favourably, several

times, Yoga. Immortalité et liberté.39

The last letter (26 April 1962) is related to another work of Eliade. Evola

thanks him for his recent books published at “Gallimard”, which were sent to him

by the press service of the publishing house. They could be only Naissances

mystiques (1959) and Méphistophélès et l’androgyne (1962).40

It is very probable

that his letter was prompted by the receipt of the last work, which came out at the

beginning of April. Moreover, in its footnotes Eliade cites Metafisica del sesso

(1958). As we shall see, Evola gave this book a special, though delayed,

welcome. Interestingly, we also learn from here that Eliade didn’t confirm, at its

time, the receipt of Metafisica del sesso, which, by the way, quoted frequently

several of his own works: Traité, Le chamanisme, Le Yoga. Sending his own

book, in which he cites in his turn Evola’s work, could have been a form of

belated confirmation.

36

J. Evola, “Nostri miti”, Roma, Naples, n.s., VIII, 25 September 1957, p. 3 (M.E.P., box 119/8). 37

Mircea Eliade �i corespondenŃii săi, vol. III, ed. by M. Handoca, Bucharest: F.N.P.S.A., 2003,

p. 349 (17 October 1958). 38

Vasile Posteucă, “Jurnal”, in: Gabriel Stănescu (ed.), Mircea Eliade în con�tiinŃa

contemporanilor săi din exil, Norcross: Criterion, [2001], pp. 272-277 (275 – entry of 28

October 1958). Still Eliade gave Posteucă Evola’s address, but the book in which he made use of

his impressions on Codreanu (via Eliade) appeared posthumously. Idem, Dezgroparea

Căpitanului, ed. by Al. Ronnett, Madrid: Ed. Mi�cării Legionare, 1977, pp. 35-36. 39

J. Evola, “The «Mysteries of Woman» in East and West”, East and West, Rome, IX, no. 4,

December 1958, pp. 349-355. 40

The previous book from this publisher, Mythes, rêves et mystères (1957), had been already

reviewed by Evola and, as seen, the review was sent to its author (probably to his address in Paris).

137

The absence of a real confirmation places the terminus ante quem of the

interruption of their correspondence to 1958 or 1959. It also excludes the

possibility of a visit to Evola in 1961. We have no clue whether there existed any

correspondence between 1956 and 1958, but the circumstantial evidence is rather

negative. The fact that Evola had to ask Eliade’s American address from the editor

of Antaios is a clear indication of losing contact with him after September 1956.

Moreover, Evola makes an explicit connection between Eliade’s departure to

United States and their lack of communication. He refers again to their last

encounter, when the Romanian scholar confessed that he accepts only invitations to

America, keeping his freedom of going and coming back to Europe. The invitation

to America is, no doubt, a reference to the proposal to deliver the Haskel lectures at

the University of Chicago, of which Eliade could have told him only in April 1955,

when he met Evola the last time. Indeed, he had just received the invitation from

Joachim Wach, during the Rome Congress of the History of Religions.41

The

reason for recalling this “confession” to Eliade’s attention was to point out his self-

contradiction when choosing to remain in the United States.

Corroborating all the circumstantial evidence of their communication, it

becomes very probable that Eliade stopped writing to Evola in 1955, if not

immediately after his return from Rome (and his last visit to him), then sometimes

before June. There might have been other letters from his Italian colleague, but

most probably without an answer.42

Still, sending his books to Evola, through the

press service of the publishing houses, and recommending or accepting his

collaboration to Antaios (1959-1971), through the managing editor of the journal,

was a form of indirect communication.43

We know nothing about telephone

contacts, like the one of May 1952; although possible they are less probable.

41

M. Eliade, Jurnal, 25 April 1955, M.E.P., box 15/5. 42

The letter of 27 December 1955 mentions a postcard (fr. carte), to be positioned after the letter

of 6 October 1955. 43

See Hans Thomas Hakl, “«Den Antaios kenne und missbillige ich. Was er pflegt, ist nicht

Religio, sondern Magie!» Kurze Geschichte der Zeitschrift Antaios”, Aries. Journal for the study of

Western esotericism, Leiden, IX, no. 2, 2009 pp. 195-232 (216, 217); idem, “Julius Evola e

Antaios”, paper to Giornate di studio evoliane «Evola e la filosofia», Alatri, 7-8 May 2010, 6 pp.

(4, 5-6), http://www.fondazionejuliusevola.it/DocumentiConvegni/Alatri_2010/Relazione_Hakl.pdf.

Hakl thinks that Evola’s collaboration to Antaios was recommended by a collaborator of “Ernst

Klett” publishing house, but his letters to Philipp Wolff-Windegg for the years 1959-1965 are not

yet known. It could have been Eliade, who in April 1959, gave a good recommendation for the

German translation of Metafisica del sesso (published by “Ernst Klett” in 1961), despite the fact

that later on, in August, he advised the delay of Evola’s articles.

138

These eight new letters contain also interesting data about the elaboration of

some of Evola’s books, as well as about his efforts to get them translated and

published in France. We leave this matter to the specialist of his biography and

work. Instead, we have added two letters of Paolo Boringhieri (1921-2006), the

redactor of “Einaudi” in charge of Colana viola after the death of Cesare Pavese

and director of the sub-division “Edizioni Scientifiche Einaudi”.44

They concern the

Italian translations of Techniques du Yoga and Traité d’histoire des religions, to

which Evola refers frequently in his letters of 1951-1954.45

4. After 1962 new information on Eliade’s attitude towards Evola is provided

by his unpublished journal. The second inedited note regarding the Italian esoterist

dates from 5 September 1964:

I try once again, but I don’t succeed: Yeats’ ‘occultism,’ over which so much fuss is

made, doesn’t interest me. It’s cheap, ‘literary,’ suspect – and, ultimately, uninteresting.

Out of all the modern occultist authors whom I have read, only R. Guénon and J. Evola

are worthy of being taken into consideration. I’m not discussing here to what extent their

assertions are ‘true.’ But what they write makes sense.46

Much has already been written, during the last two decades, about Evola’s

supposed “influence” on Eliade or about a presumable debt of the latter towards the

exponents of “Tradition”. This note is a clear testimony of Eliade’s old interest for

the writings of Guénon and Evola as “occultist authors”, but also an explicit reserve

regarding their “truth”. He believes their work expresses a meaningful occultist

Weltanschauung, but does not necessarily accept it as true or adhere to it.47

44

See Pietro Angelini, “Notizia supplementare”, in Cesare Pavese & Ernesto de Martino, La collana viola. Lettere, 1945-1950, ed. by P. Angelini, Turin: Bollati Boringhieri, 1991, pp. 181-187. 45

For the reception and translation of Techniques du Yoga in Italy, see our article “Mircea Eliade

as scholar of yoga. A historical study of his reception, I. 1936-1954”, in: New Europe College

"�tefan Odobleja" Program Yearbook 2010-2011, Bucharest: N.E.C., 2012 (forthcoming). For

the translation and reception of Traité d’histoire des religions, see Pietro Angelini, “Fortunes

and misfortunes of Mircea Eliade in Italy”, Origins. Journal of cultural studies, Zalău, no. 3-4,

2003, pp. 52-55. A general survey in Roberto Scagno, “La ricezione dell’opera di Mircea Eliade

in Italia. Un bilancio critico”, Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni, Rome, n.s., XXXII, no.

1, 2008, pp. 77-87. 46

M. Eliade, Jurnal, 5 September 1964, M.E.P., box. 16/6 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts). 47

See also the note of 11 November 1966; M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. I. 1941-1969, ed. cit., p. 567.

139

Three months later, on 20 December 1964, while reading Evola’s

autobiography Il Cammino del cinabro, Eliade penned a larger note on him.

Although the book came out in November or December 1963, he read it only after a

year. We don’t know the reason of this delay. Maybe Evola didn’t send his book, as he

did usually, and Eliade learned about it only recently. Or maybe he had other priorities.

At that point, reading Evola was neither an urgent thing, nor the most thrilling. On the

contrary, this book proves to be disappointing in more than one respect:

I’m reading the intellectual autobiography of J. Evola, Il Cammino del mercurio,

with much melancholy. The chapter in which he presents and discusses the idealistic

‘university philosophy,’ represented by Croce and Gentile: he speaks about his two

theoretical volumes in which he supposedly destroyed those ‘professors,’ etc. etc. The

naïveté (full of resentment) with which he situates himself in the history of contemporary

thought – even though he states repeatedly that his volumes have not been reviewed and

have not evoked any response...

There must be, indeed, several tons of printed paper in Italy alone on which the

philosophy of Croce and Gentile has been discussed. Of what use, then, has Evola’s

‘radical criticism’ and ‘destruction’ been? And abroad, poor J. Evola is viewed as an

ultra-fascist. The copy of the English translation of his book on Buddhism in Swift

Library is disfigured with polemical annotations (written in indelible lead!): they say

(even on the cover) that Evola is a fascist and a ‘racist,’ that his theories about ‘Aryans’

were borrowed from A. Rosenberg, etc. I remember the brief, harsh review in Journal

asiatique written by J. Filliozat in the same vein: J. E. is a racist, ultra-fascist, etc.

Evola tries to appear indifferent to such criticisms, although he prefers them to the

‘conspiracy of silence’ of which he claims he has suffered all his life. And yet, what a

melancholic spectacle to see him talking about what he has done, how he has ‘destroyed’

and ‘surpassed’ everyone, even Nietzsche and Heidegger (whom he claims, moreover, to

have anticipated…).48

The title of Evola’s autobiography is changed from “cinnabar” to “mercury”,

which is not exactly the same thing. Could this inaccuracy suggest a certain

carelessness about it? The chapter to which Eliade refers here is the third (Il

periodo speculativo. L’idealismo magico e la teoria dell’individuo assoluto). The

book has fourteen chapters. In the tenth (L’azione in Germania e la “Dottrina del

risveglio”) Evola recollects that, in 1938, Eliade “belonged to the circle of

Codreanu”, while after the war he became a famous historian of religions49

– a

48

M. Eliade, Jurnal, 20 December 1964, M.E.P., box. 16/6, pp. 2640-2641 (tr. by Mac Linscott

Ricketts). 49

J. Evola, Il cammino del cinabro, Milan: All’insegna del pesce d’oro, 1963, pp. 151-152.

140

statement which, as we know, has saddened and irritated him.50

If we keep in mind

that Il Cammino del cinabro was completed in August 1962, shortly after the last

bitter letter of Evola known to us, his intention becomes more evident. He knew –

as proved by his correspondence with others51

– that Eliade didn’t liked to have this

brief political episode of youth remembered.

It is not without importance to know whether, by the time Eliade noted down

these impressions, he had read the entire book or only the first three chapters. The

last paragraph might be an indication that he had read it all, but the evidence is not

fully conclusive.52

The second book referred to, which Eliade read at Chicago, in

the English translation available at the library of Divinity School, is The doctrine of

awakening. A study on the Buddhist ascesis (tr. by H.E. Musson, London: Luzac,

1951). It is the same book to which is dedicated a part of the chapter in which

Evola mentions Eliade’s political sympathies of youth. Remembering that its author

is viewed abroad as an ultra-fascist looks like a replica of this. Pointing to

accusations of racism and Nazi-type Aryanism seems a rejoinder to Evola’s similar

insinuations in his review of Yoga.

The Italian’s resentment against university professors, and the "official" science

was not new to Eliade. He had the occasion to feel it, not only in his letters, but also

in some of Evola’s reviews. Saying that his criticism of Croce and Gentile was

redundant and useless, could imply his critiques of Eliade’s books too. Furthermore,

not only his philosophical works passed unnoticed by philosophers, but his books on

Asian philosophies and religions, when noticed by an important Orientalist like Jean

Filliozat (1906-1982) or by a professor or student of Chicago’s prestigious Divinity

school, were rejected on the ground of an objectionable ideological contamination.

All these details make us believe that Eliade has read the entire book and his

reaction was triggered not only by the facts mentioned in this note, but also by the

displeasure at finding a “denunciation” of his past sympathy for the Legionary

movement of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu.

50

M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. II, op. cit., p. 166 (July 1974). 51

A post-factum testimony in J. Evola, Lettere. 1955-1974, ed. by Renato del Ponte, Finale

Emilia: La Terra degli Avi, [1996], p. 104 (letter of 29 June 1971 to Gaspare Cannizzo). But we

can be sure he didn’t learn it after the publication of his autobiography. 52

If Nietzsche is referred to many times throughout the book, Heidegger is mentioned only

twice, in the first and last chapters. Yet the claim to have anticipated him is found in the first

chapter. Evola talks about a “conspiracy of silence” a couple of times in the final part of the

book, but the expression is already used by the editor in his introductory note.

141

According to Eliade’s journal note of July 1974, he ceased writing to Evola only

after the reading of his autobiography. Could there have been other exchanges of

letters between May 1962 and December 1964? We think not. Eliade states, in the

same place, that he continued his correspondence with Evola only for “a few years”

after the 1949 renewal of their contacts.53

This expression refers, as we have seen, to

a period of about five years, stretching from the end of 1949 to the spring of 1955.

Could he have visited him again in August-September 1965, when he came to Rome?

Unlikely. Despite declaring that he has not seen Evola for ten or twelve years (i.e.

since 1962-1964), he also stated clearly that he visited him only twice. And two visits

– in May 1952 and April 1955 – are attested by Evola’s letters.

The fourth mention of Evola’s name in the journal is only tangential to him.

Eliade recalls, on 28 April 1965, after learning about George Călinescu’s death, his

habit of writing long, “learned” articles on the basis of a single book. As an

example, he gives his essay on alchemy after reading La tradizione ermetica

(1931).54

After this brief mention, Eliade will return to Evola only in 1974, upon his

death. And for the last time. In 1964, he not only broke ties with him, but

apparently also stopped citing him in his books and articles.55

The same can’t be said about the Italian writer. After a few years of possible

intentional silence, Eliade’s name can be found again in his writings. In L’arco e la

clava (1968), a collection of miscellaneous writings, some dating back to the ‘50s, he

mentions him twice in connection with the idea of cyclical time.56

In the second

revised edition (1968) of Lo yoga della potenza – translated in French in 1971 and

reprinted three times till 1984 –, Evola quotes Eliade’s “excellent work” (ottima

opera) Yoga. Immortalité et liberté (1954), which contains a “rich material” on

53

M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. II, loc. cit. 54

M. Eliade, Jurnal, 28 April 1965, M.E.P., box 16/7. The article is probably “Magie �i

alchimie” (Vremea, XV, no. 729, 25 December 1943, p. 8), which refers explicitly to Evola’s

book. Călinescu also translated a fragment from an earlier work of Evola, L’Individuo e il divenire del mondo (Jurnalul literar, I, no. 23, 4 June 1939, pp. 1, 4). 55

He still mentioned Evola in private conversations. An interesting story, told to his student John

Patrick Deveney, in Joscelyn Godwin, Arktos. The Polar myth in science, symbolism, and Nazi survival, Grand Rapids: Phanes Press, 1993, p. 61, 231 (cited in our article “Istoria doctorului

Honigberger…”, op. cit., pp. 144, 155). J.P. Deveney was in Chicago in 1965-1969 and 1972-

1973. He couldn’t remember when exactly Eliade told him the story, but was inclined to think

that it happened during the last years (email letter of 30 April 2004 to Mac Linscott Ricketts,

whom I thank for it). 56

J. Evola, L’arco e la clava, 3rd

ed., Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1995, pp. 25, 185.

142

Tantrism.57

Was this an intention of reconciliation after the harsh review from East

and West? Still, in the 1969 edition of Rivolta contro il mondo moderno, he didn’t

update the footnote which cited the old version of the book, Yoga. Essai sur les

origines de la mystique indienne (1936).58

In 1971, Evola introduced Méphistophélès et l’androgyne in the series Orizzonti

dello spirito, directed by him at “Edizioni Mediterranee”.59

Further on he reviewed it,

and also quoted it in the third edition of Maschera e volto dello spiritualismo

contemporaneo, published the same year.60

The review is very different from the

previous ones written for the same newspaper. It is rather a personal gloss on the

second chapter of the book, which is mentioned briefly and neutrally, sparing it of any

epithet.61

Also, unlike the other reviews, we couldn’t find it in Eliade’s archive. If

further research will confirm its absence, it can be considered a proof that the

communication was completely severed also from Evola’s side.

The same year, in his edition of the Taoist book of meditation The secret of the

Golden Flower, based on the German and French translations, Evola chose not to

include the introductory study of C.G. Jung, but that of Pierre Grison. He

considered the first a mere pretext for exposing Jung’s own psychoanalytical ideas,

while the second was, in his opinion, based on “esoteric teaching”. It happens

though that Grison’s introduction quoted several books by Eliade.62

In the third

edition (1973) of La dottrina del risveglio Evola quotes the Italian translation

(1967) of Le sacré et le profane.63

His last anthumous book, Meditazioni delle vette

57

J. Evola, Lo yoga della potenza. Saggio sui Tantra, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 2006, pp.

27, 80, 81, 99, 106, 113, 150, 155, 156, 161, 163, 196 (with some more citations than the 1968

edition). Rendered as “superb work” in the English translation; The yoga of power. Tantra,

shakti, and the secret way, tr. by Guido Stucco, Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1992, p. 9 (also pp.

91, 221, 223, 228, 231). 58

Cited along with Traité d’histoire des religions (1949) and Le mythe de l’éternel retour (1949). J.

Evola, Rivolta contro il mondo moderno, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 2007, pp. 198, 288. 59

M. Eliade, Mefistofele e l’androgino, tr. by Enrico Pinto, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1971;

reprinted, 1983, 1989, 1995. 60

J. Evola, Maschera e volto dello spiritualismo contemporaneo, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1971, p. 172. 61

J. Evola, “Mefistofele e l’androgino”, Roma, Naples, n.s., XXII, no. 325, 27 November 1971, p. 3. 62

Le yoga. Immortalité et liberté (1954), Forgerons et alchimistes (1956), Patañjali et le Yoga

(1961). Liu Hua-yang, Il mistero del fiore d’Oro, seguito dal Libro della coscienza e della vita,

ed. by Julius Evola, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 2007, pp. 19-65 (25, 30, 46, 48, 55). 63

J. Evola, La dottrina del risveglio, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1995, p. 266n.

143

(1974), contains an older essay which cites Eliade.64

The same year a revised

translation of Le chamanisme will appear in the series Orizzonti dello spirito.65

As we have seen, in three of the five journal entries which make reference to

Evola, he is coupled with René Guénon. The name of the latter occurs much more

frequently: once in the journal of the novel ViaŃă nouă, three times in the Portugal

Journal66 and 19 times in the post-war journal.

67 Only six of these entries have been

selected for publication: the first two in a Romanian exile review, the others in

Fragments d’un journal.68 Most of them record what other people

69 had to say

about Guénon. Only two of these notations (11 November 1966 and September

1977) convey what Eliade himself thought about the French esoterist. But they are

the only ones in which he does this at large in his journal. The majority of the

unpublished entries refer to Guénon tangentially, in connection with other

persons.70

On one other occasion (29 February 1948) he meets an old doctor, a

good friend of Guénon, who tells him “a number of picturesque details from the life

of the great initiate” (the epithet is used ironically).71

Perhaps the most interesting of these notations is the one of 26 August 1947:

“Only after you’ve studied Coomaraswamy’s writings in detail do you discover,

suddenly, the poverty, the ‘elementarism,’ [rom. primarism] of René Guénon’s

64

“Il pittore delle nevi tibetane” (1959), in: J. Evola, Meditazioni delle vette. Scritti sulla

montagna. 1927-1959, La Spezia: Edizioni del Tridente, 1974; 5th revised and expanded edition,

Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 2003, pp. 193-198 (197). 65

M. Eliade, Lo sciamanismo e le tecniche dell’estasi, tr. by Julius Evola, revised and updated

by Franco Pintore, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1974. 66

27 July 1941, respectively August and October 1942, 17 February 1943; M. Eliade, Jurnalul

portughez �i alte scrieri, vol. I, ed. by Sorin Alexandrescu, Bucharest: Humanitas, 2006, pp. 134,

140, 183, 391; English translation: The Portugal Journal, tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts, Albany:

SUNY Press, 2010, pp. 32, 37, 72, 232. 67

27 July, 2 August 1946; 22 March, 26 August 1947; 29 February, 4 December 1948; 2 April, 3

October, 6 November 1949; 5 September, 28 October 1953; 5 September 1964; 20 June 1965; 21

May, 11 November 1966; 4 March 1969, 20 August 1970, July 1974, September 1977; M.

Eliade, Jurnal, M.E.P., boxes 15/1-17/6, 25/10, 26/1, 6-7, 9, 27/1, 3, 9, 28/5. 68

Published later in the Romanian edition of the Jurnal, vol. I, op. cit., pp. 19, 21, 259, 567; vol.

II, op. cit., pp. 164-166, 283. 69

Carl Schmitt, dr. Mario (the correspondent in Paris of Kölnische Zeitung), Jean Chauvel (the

French Ambasador at Bern), and Julius Evola. 70

Anton Dumitriu, Vasile Lovinescu and Mihai Vâlsan, a French doctor converted to the “Indian

tradition”, Paul le Cour, a young man met on the street, Raymond Abellio, the Swiss film maker

Gabriel Uribe (?), a certain George, Canadian Ambassador to Paris, and Ninian Smart. 71

M. Eliade, Jurnal, M.E.P., box 15/3 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts).

144

œuvre. And the insufferable self-importance with which he hides, so often, his

ignorance!”72

Still he kept him on the scale of esoteric writers right after the Anglo-

Indian scholar, as proved by a later note. On 4 March 1969, after a student read a

seminar paper on the symbolism of the Tarot, which professor Eliade considered to

contain pseudo-esoteric banalities, learned from a few occult books, he says, and for

the benefit of whole class: “if one is truly attracted to hermetism, he ought to read the

‘authorized’, if not Cardanus, at least Coomaraswamy and René Guénon.”73

Obviously, Evola came only after them. Was this a recent hierarchy,

especially after his break with the Italian esoterist? No, it existed at least from

1947, if not already from the ‘30s.74

Eliade’s perception of the metaphysicians of

“Tradition” has changed after the war. This journal note from 11 November 1966

regards Julius Evola too:

What Guénon and the other ‘hermeticists’ say about ‘Tradition’ must not be

understood on the plane of historical reality (as they claim). These speculations

constitute a universe of systematically articulated meanings; they are to be compared

with a great poem or novel. The same with Marxist and Freudian ‘explanations’: they

are true if we consider them imaginary universes. The ‘proofs’ are few and uncertain –

they correspond to the historical, social, and psychological ‘realities’ in a novel or a

poem. All these global and systematic interpretations constitute, in fact, mythological

creations, very useful for understanding the World; but they are not, as their authors

believe, ‘scientific explanations’.75

As clearly stated, professor Eliade considered the works of Guénon and Evola

useful tools for understanding the World, with capital letter. What he means here is,

we think, the human representation of the world, more precisely the mythical

representation. That’s why he continues to read them with the same old interest.

Their works show how mythological creation takes place even today, and permit a

good glimpse into its structure and functioning. They have no explanatory function

for the historical dimension of reality, and therefore are not to be considered on the

same plane with scientific explanations.

72

Ibidem, box 15/2 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts). 73

Ibidem, box 15/4 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts). 74

See for this M. Eliade, “Ananda Coomaraswamy”, Revista FundaŃiilor Regale, Bucharest, IV,

no. 7, July 1937, pp. 183-189; reprinted in Insula lui Euthanasius, Bucharest: F.R.P.L.A, 1943. 75

M. Eliade, Jurnal, vol. I, op. cit., p. 567 (tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts).

145

When exactly did this new perception appear? The first expression of it in his

journal dates from 5 September 1964. Did Eliade think the same when he quoted

Evola in his books between 1954 and 1962?

In a footnote of Yoga. Immortalité et liberté (1954), he referred to La dottrina

del risveglio for its “excellent analysis” of the four psychic states – pali jhānas,

skr. dhyānas – experienced in the Buddhist meditation. In the final bibliography,

Lo yoga della potenza is present three times – among general works on tantrism,

as an overview on mantra, and for its interpretation of cakras –, while La

Tradizione ermetica is cited as a reference for the metaphysics of alchemy.76

In 1955, in the special issue of Le Disque vert, dedicated to Carl Gustav Jung,

Eliade mentioned La Tradizione ermetica as a book presenting the principles and

technique of ars regia according to the best sources and in a rigorous spirit – that of

the “Tradition”.77

The same book is cited several times in the article Aspects

initiatiques de l’alchimie occidentale (1955) and in Forgerons et alchimistes

(1956), in relation to the philosophical incestus, the symbolism of initiatic death,

the parallelism of Christ with the philosopher’s stone, the operations albedo and

rubedo, and the materia prima as a symbol. It is also listed in the final bibliography

among books on alchemy from a “Traditionalist” perspective, a fact which is

recalled in the text.78

Metafisica del sesso is cited again in four footnotes of the Eranos paper La

coincidentia oppositorum et le mystère de la totalité (1959)79

– reprinted in

Méphistophélès et l’androgyne (1962) –, in relation to the mythical division of

the sexes, the celestial Virgin, the alchemical idea of androgyny, and the idea of

unification of sexes in the nature of the resurrected Christ.80

When Evola’s books are referred as a “Traditionalist” approach to the

problems Eliade discusses from the viewpoint of history of religions, he clearly

takes them as samples of the mythical thinking. This is the case in 1955 and 1956.

The same can be said about 1959 and 1962, in view of the topics to which

76

M. Eliade, Yoga. Immortality and freedom, tr. by W.R. Trask, with a new introduction by

David Gordon White, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009, pp. 171n, 403, 407, 410, 416. 77

M. Eliade, “Note sur Jung et l’alchimie”, op. cit., pp. 104-105. 78

M. Eliade, Forgerons et alchimistes, op. cit., pp. 119, 132, 133, 134, 135, 138, 139, 176. 79

Eranos-Jahrbuch, Zürich, XXVII, 1959, pp. 195-236. 80

M. Eliade, Méphistophélès et l’androgyne, Paris: Gallimard, 1962, pp. 126, 127, 128.

146

Evola’s work is related, but there Metafisica del sesso is used mostly for its

bibliographical sources, very helpful to Eliade’s argument.81

The 1954 reference to La Tradizione ermetica falls into the same category, as it

is explicitly done with regard to the “metaphysics of alchemy”. But La dottrina del

risveglio and Lo yoga della potenza are cited there in a conspicuously different

way, along with other scholarly works. Did Eliade think differently at that moment

or was he just answering the reproach of not mentioning Evola’s name in his

writings? This is a good opening question for a fresh inquiry into the substance of

his relation with the Italian author.82

81

This was noticed also by Marcello de Martino, Mircea Eliade esoterico. Ioan Petru Culianu e i “non detti”, Rome: Settimo Sigillo, 2008, pp. 327-328 n, but we can’t agree with his inferences. 82

While editing the letters attached to this article, we tried to be faithful to the original and chose

not to make corrections to their grammar or style. Since the writing of the article there were

published an Italian translation of the sixteen known letters of Evola to Eliade (Julius Evola,

Lettere a Mircea Eliade. 1930-1954, edited and translated by Claudio Mutti, notes by

Gianfranco de Turris and Claudio Mutti, preface by Giovanni Casadio, Naples: Controcorente,

2011, 80 pp.) and a pamphlet partly triggered by it (Marcello De Martino, Le ultime lettere di

Julius Evola à M. Mircea Eliade (29/XI/1954 e 26/IV/1962), Rome: Settimo Sigillo, 2011, 48

pp.), which contains the Italian translation of two – 5 and 8 – of the new letters edited here.

147

Julius Evola to Mircea Eliade

1

Bologna, 26.X.1952

Cher Monsieur

J’avais bien reçu les placards avec les nouvelles coupures à ajouter aux autres.

La traduction va assez vite – on en est presque à la moitié.1 Ensuite je vous

demanderai quelques éclaircissement.

Pour ce qui est de votre Mythe,2 je ne crois pas qu’il soit bien en intéresser Bocca

3

maintenant. Je crois qu’il soit plus utile qu’il songe à publier aussi votre Yoga,4 car c’est

là un ouvrage qui s’encadre mieux dans sa collection scientifique, tandis que Mythe

rentrerait dans une collection d’essais très variée et parfois même d’un genre douteux.

Je voulais déjà vous demander si on pourrait avoir, en emprunt, la nouvelle rédaction

de Yoga à ce fin, dans le cas que Payot retarde à la faire paraître.

Pour Mythe on pourrait voir ailleurs. Mais je pense qu’il serait, à la fin,

“controproducente” (comme on dit ici) que faire paraître trop de livres de vous

presque dans le même temps. Car à la fin de cette année devrait paraître votre

Traité5 chez Einaudi, dans le cours du 1953 j’espère que Chamanisme paraîtra à

son tour. Par conséquent on n’est pas pressé. Cela n’empêche pas que je ferai des

démarches préparatoires. Entre autre, une nouvelle maison éditrice6 – mais avec des

possibilités financières assez limitées – vient de s’organiser à Rome, et sa première

publication ce sera mon Gli uomini e le rovine;7 en suite on pense d’éditer des

livres de Guénon, de Reininger, de O. Spann,8 etc. Il s’agit de voir comme cela

marchera financiellement.

1 The translation of Le chamanisme et les techniques archaïques de l’extase, Paris: Payot, 1951.

2 Le mythe de l’éternel retour. Archétypes et répétition, Paris: Gallimard, 1949.

3 The publishing house “Fratelli Bocca” of Milan.

4 The revised edition of Yoga. Essai sur les origines de la mystique indienne, Bucharest - Paris:

F.P.L.A.R.C. - Paul Geuthner, 1936, of which Eliade must have informed him in a letter. It will

be published only two years later: Yoga. Immortalité et liberté, Paris: Payot, 1954. 5 Traité d’histoire des religions. Morphologie du sacré, Paris: Payot, 1949. The Italian

translation appeared after two years: Trattato di storia delle religioni, tr. by Virginia Vacca,

preface by Ernesto de Martino, Turin: Einaudi, 1954. 6 “Edizioni dell’Ascia”.

7 The book will appear in April 1953.

8 René Guénon (1886-1951), Robert Reininger (1869-1955), Othmar Spann (1878-1950). Evola

reprinted his old translation (Milan: Hoepli, 1937) of Guénon’s La crise du monde moderne,

148

Merci beaucoup pour votre démarche chez Véga. Je garde personnellement les

droits de traduction de tous mes livres. Pour cela, je crois qu’il est bien que j’écris

directement à la Librairie Véga.

En principe je tiendrais naturellement que ce soit Rivolta9 qui parait le premier

en France, car ce livre est un peu le clef de tous les autres, si bien que même le livre

sur le Graal10

peut être considéré comme le développement d’un de ses chapitres.

Avec les éditions Laffont je pense qu’il y a peu de chances s’il est vrai ce que me

dit Lavastine11

(dont j’ai reçu la lettre), voir que mes livres sont en examen dans les

mains d’un lecteur démocrate-chrétien, juif par-dessus. J’ai prié Lavastine de voir

s’il peut intéresser quelque autre éditeur.

Veuillez agréer, cher M. Eliade, l’expression de mes sentiments très sympathiques,

J. Evola

Pensione Nuova

Via del Porto Bologna

L’adresse en est valable encore deux semaines.

M.E.P., box 91/2. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in blue ink, last line in handwriting.

2

Bologna, le 17.XI.52

Cher Monsieur,

J’ai reçu votre lettre. Bocca vient de me dire qu’il a l’intention de publier votre livre12

en printemps, pourvu que celui de Einaudi13

paraisse déjà dans le cours de cette année.

Paris: Bossard, 1927 (La crisi del mondo moderno, Rome: Edizioni dell’Ascia, 1953; Edizioni

Mediterranee, 1972, 1985). He translated and prefaced Reininger’s book Friedrich Nietzsches

Kampf und Sinn des Lebens. Der Ertrag seiner Philosophie für die Ethik, Vienna - Leipzig:

Wilhelm Braumüller, 1922, under the title Nietzsche e il senso della vita, Rome: Giovanni

Volpe, 1971. New translations from the works of Spann appeared in Italian only from 1982 on

(before the war Evola translated from them in his bimonthly page Diorama filosofico from the

daily newspaper Il regime fascista). 9 Rivolta contro il mondo moderno, Milan: Hoepli, 1934; 2

nd revised and expanded edition,

Milan: Fratelli Bocca, 1951. It will be published in French much later and not in France: Révolte

contre le monde moderne, tr. by Pierre Pascal, Montreal - Brussels: Ed. de l’Homme, 1972. 10

Il mistero del Graal e la tradizione ghibellina dell’Impero, Bari: Laterza, 1937. 11

Philippe Lavastine (1908-1999). 12

Lo sciamanismo e le tecniche dell’estasi, tr. by Carlo d’Altavilla [=Julius Evola], Rome -

Milan: Fratelli Bocca, 1953.

149

D’après votre communication j’ai écrit à la Librairie Véga (pour le livre sur le

Graal) il y a plus de deux semaines, sans avoir aucune réponse. Si une occasion se

présentera, vous pourrez peut-être voir qu’il en est.

Si, comme je le suppose, vous aller faire copier votre Yoga à la machine pour

Payot, il serait bien en faire deux exemplaires, pour en pouvoir utiliser un ici.

Veuillez agréer, cher Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments très amicales.

J. Evola

Pourrez-vous me signaler quelque ouvrage spécial ayant trait à la magie du

sexe et aux rites orgiastiques?

M.E.P., box 91/2. Postcard, handwritten on both sides, mailed to Paris (rue Duhesme 11) on 18

November 1952.

3

Bologna, le 16.XII. 1952

Cher Monsieur Eliade,

Merci pour votre lettre. Je pense que la traduction de votre livre sera au point

au commencement de janvier et puisque Traité a un tel retard, nous allons ménager

les choses afin que Chamanisme paraisse avant.

De la part de la Librairie Véga, aucune nouvelle jusqu'à présent. Au contraire,

je viens de recevoir une lettre très aimable de M. Lavastine, qui se propose de

s’intéresser sérieusement pour le placement de mes livres. Je crois qu’il va parler de

nouveau avec vous sur ce sujet.

Il se peut que vous voudrez me rendre un petit service, c’est-à-dire envoyer de

Paris (ou d’où vous vous trouvez maintenant) la lettre ci-jointe. Merci beaucoup.

A l’occasion veuillez agréer, cher Monsieur Eliade, mes souhaits les meilleurs

pour les jours de fête qui viennent.

J. Evola

Merci beaucoup pour Images et symboles,14

que je vais lire dans ces jours avec

l’intérêt que méritent tous vous ouvrages.

A propos de mon livre sur le Graal il serait bien, le cas échéant, de signaler que

surtout la fin – qui pourrait agacer quelques lecteurs – a été élabore de nouveau.

13

Trattato di storia delle religioni, op. cit. 14

Images et symboles. Essais sur le symbolisme magico-religieux, preface by George Dumézil,

Paris: Gallimard, 1952.

150

Mon adresse actuel est bien

Pensione Nuova

Via del Porto

Bologna Est-ce que le votre n’est plus à rue Duhesme?

M.E.P., box 91/2. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in blue ink, last line in handwriting.

4

Bologna, le 13.I.1953

Cher Monsieur,

Je viens de réviser la traduction de votre Chamanisme et pour la mettre au point je

vous soumet quelques questions.

1. Avant tout: je me doute que le mot "archaïque" a en français la même nuance

négative qu’en italien. En italien ce mot est employé presque exclusivement dans le

domaine de la littérature et des arts et, surtout pour les non-spécialisés, a une résonance

négative, défavorable: comme “vieux”, “sans vie”, stéréotype, momifie, etc. Même M.

de Martino15

lorsqu’il parle de “arcaismi” entends par là une non-valeur. Je proposerais

de substituer à “arcaico” “primordiale”, qui étymologiquement revient plus ou moins

au même et qui éloignerait ce malentendu. Cela, déjà dans le titre, tandis que dans le

texte je mettrais de temps en temps les deux mots “primordiale e arcaico” pour que le

premier rectifie le second.

2. Je pense que surtout dans les premiers chapitres lorsque vous parlez de

“vocation” vous entendez plutôt “choix, élection”. Vocation est quelque chose de

positif, un penchant libre, pendant que vous entendez, dans ces cas, quelque chose qui

intervient et même s’impose à la suite d’une volonté étrangère (esprits, ancêtres, etc.).

3. Vous employez le mot “intégrer” dans un sens que, je crois, est un peu spécial

même en français. En tout cas en italien un équivalent parfait s’impose (“integrato in

un insieme” = “ripreso in un insieme”, etc.)

4. “Dialectique du sacré”: pour les lecteurs qui ne connaissent pas les autres

livres de vous, cela reste obscur. Il faudrait expliciter en quelque sorte.

5. La remarque qui suit ne s’applique qu’en passant à Chamanisme. Je crois que

par “dieux passifs” vous entendez plutôt “dieux impassibles”; ce sont les “dieux

détachés”, tandis que si vous dites “passifs” cela suppose une action qu’ils subissent.

“Deus otiosus” lui aussi crée un équivoque pour celui qui ignore la signification

positive de otium chez les anciens.

Pour ce qui est des particuliers:

15

Ernesto de Martino (1908-1965), who took care of the translations of Eliade’s books at

“Einaudi” and prefaced them.

151

P. 107, ligne 10: Qu’est-ce que vous entendez ici par “fauves”? Il semble qu’il ne

s’agit pas des animaux sauvages.

P. 149, l. 4, 8: “bois” dans le sens de substance des cornes?

P. 162, l. 25: Je crois qu’on devrait dire “macrocosme”.

P. 218, l. 36: Qu’est-ce que vous entendez par “chamanisme vers la terre”?

P. 220, l. 32: C’est vraiment “régions supérieures” et non “inférieures”, à cause du

“mais” oppositif?

P. 242, l. 8: C’est vraiment “empoigné” dans le sens de pris avec la main?

P. 107, l. 26: Que doit-on entendre par “peines”? Souffrances?!

P. 275, l. 38: “dans un petit trou” – où? Il n’est pas clair.

P. 306, l. 21: “L’Arme Chaman” – que signifie?

P. 351, l. 9-10: “Une continuation d’Alburz” – il semble être incohérent, si le “il”

se rapporte à l’Enfer.

Il se peut que vous voudrez m’écrire deux mots pour éclaircir tout cela.

Veuillez prendre note que mon adresse actuel est valable jusqu’au 24 de ce mois;

ensuite je suis à Rome, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 197.

Est-ce que vous avez entendu quelque chose du côté de chez M. Lavastine et de

la Librairie Véga? Moi, rien du tout.

Veuillez agréer, cher Monsieur Eliade, mes salutations très cordiales,

J. Evola

J. Evola

Pensione Nuova

Via del Porto

Bologna

M.E.P., box 91/2. Typed letter, single sheet written on both sides, autograph signature in blue ink.

5

Rome, le 29.XI.54

Cher Monsieur,

J’ai vu que enfin votre Traité est paru chez Einaudi. Je joins ici un compte-

rendu que j’ai écrit à l’occasion, pour contribuer au “battage”. Il est paru en deux

quotidiens, Roma16 e Patria.

17 Le manager de Bocca m’a dit que, il ne sait pas

16

“Storia delle religioni”, Roma, Naples, n.s., V, 19 November 1954, p. 3. Roma was a

conservative daily newspaper published after the war by Achile Lauro (1887-1982), and directed

from 1950 to 1958, by Alfredo Signoretti (1901-1971). 17

Most probably, La Patria. Quotidiano indipendente del mattino, published at Milan from 1952

to 1956 by Achile Lauro and directed by A. Signoretti.

152

pourquoi, votre Chamanisme jusqu’à présent à été peu vendu. J’espère que l’un

ouvrage aidera à intéresser à l’autre.

Pour ce qui est de la traduction française de ma Dottrina del risveglio,18

il y a là

une impasse, parce que l’éditeur vient de me faire savoir que les personnes

auxquelles elle a été assignée ne peuvent la terminer avant la fin d’avril – ce qui

signifie presque un an après que le contrat a été signe. C’est assez fâcheux, parce

que, comme vous le savez, je compte sur ce que cet ouvrage agisse en France un

peu comme un “faiseur de brèche” pour des autres publications.

Si non, rien de remarquable à signaler. Je continue à recueillir assez

péniblement des matériaux à servir pour ma Métaphysique du sexe19 et je viens de

conseiller à Bocca – faute de mieux – la traduction d’un ouvrage de Suzuki.20

A

quel point votre nouvelle édition de Yoga est-elle?

Veuillez agréer, cher Monsieur, l’assurance de mes sentiments très cordiaux.

J. Evola

J. Evola

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 197

Roma

Vient de paraître en allemand, chez Barth, München, mon livre sur le Graal.21

M.E.P., box 82/9. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in blue ink.

6

Rome, 6.X.1955

Cher Monsieur,

J’ai reçu l’extrait très intéressant sur les aspects initiatiques de l’alchimie

occidentale.22

Je vous remercie d’avoir fait mention de mon ouvrage sur ce sujet,

dont est parue, d’ailleur, une édition plus récente.23

18

La dottrina del risveglio. Saggio sull’ascesi buddhista, Bari: Laterza, 1943. 19

Metafisica del sesso, Rome: Atanor, 1958. 20

Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, I-III, London: Luzac, 1927, 1933, 1934,

published later as Saggi sul buddhismo zen, vol. I-III, Rome: Edizioni Mediterranee, 1975, 1977,

1978. The first volume was translated by Julius Evola, the other two by Roberta Rambelli. 21

Das Geheimnis des Graals, München: O.W. Barth, 1954. 22

“Aspects initiatiques de l’alchimie occidentale”, Archivio di filosofia, Rome, XXV, no. 2,

1955, pp. 215-225. The journal, official organ of the Italian Philosophical Society, was directed

by Enrico Castelli (1900-1977), professor of philosophy of religion at the University “La

153

Pour ce qui est de la doctrine, puisque vous étudiez cette matière, je pense qu’il

y aurait lieu de souligner davantage la différentiation des deux phases de la

réalisation hermétique. La base peut être déjà donnée par l’introduction très

heureuse que vous avez fait, en traitant du Yoga, du terme enstase opposé à extase.

Cette opposition marque assez bien non seulement la distinction entre expérience

initiatique et expérience mystique, mais aussi celle entre la phase hermétique de

l’albedo, comme issue de la dissolution, et la phase finale de la rubedo.

Principiellement (et non avec un référence stricte aux données historiques) c’est là

aussi la différence entre Petits Mystères et Grand Mystères. Je pense qu’on doit

délimiter votre idée-clef de la restauration des origines, à cause de la possibilité

d’une direction “feminine” ou panthéiste de cette expérience. En alchimie l’œuvre

au blanc est justement l’extase et elle est identifiée au régime de la Femme ou de la

Lune; mais la perfection de l’ouvrage est le dépassement de cette sortie et

conjonction avec la “materia prima” ou la Mère; c’est là l’œuvre au rouge,

identifiée au régime de l’Homme (qui “monte sur la femme” ou “possède sa Mère”)

et du Soleil.

Il y a aussi lieu de remarquer un point signalétique important: la marque du

caractère initiatique “solaire” et “royal” de l’hermétisme (ars regia) est que le rouge

est placé au dessus du blanc. A l’encontre, le blanc prend toujours la première place

dans les traditions que nous sommes censé de considérer comme ayant un caractère

plus contemplatif ou extatico-sacerdotal.

Je viens de réviser la traduction anglaise d’un compte-rendu assez long sur

votre Yoga que j’ai écrit pour le prochain numéro de la revue de M. Tucci, East and West (je suppose que vous recevez cette revue).

24 J’espère que vous ne m’en

voudrez pas si, après une reconnaissance ouverte de la valeur du livre, j’ai fait

quelques remarques critiques qui, au demeurant, sont les mêmes que j’ai esquissé à

l’occasion de notre dernier entretien romain.

Croyez, cher Monsieur, à l’expression de mes meilleurs sentiments.

J. Evola

Corso Vittorio 197

M.E.P., box 91/2. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in blue ink, address in handwriting.

Sapienza”, and published many thematic issues. This one was entitled Studi di filosofia della religione. 23

La tradizione ermetica, nei suoi simboli, nella sua dottrina e nella sua arte regia, Bari:

Laterza, 1931; 2nd

revised edition, 1948. 24

“Yoga, immortality and freedom”, East and West, Rome, VI, no. 3, October 1955, pp. 224-

230. The journal, official organ of Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, was directed

by Giuseppe Tucci (1894-1984) with the assistance of Mario Bussagli (1917-1988).

154

7

Rome, le 27.XII.1955

Cher Monsieur,

C’est depuis assez de temps que je n’ai pas eu de nouvelles de vous. Je ne sais

pas même si vous vous trouvez à Paris ou toujours à St. Cloud.25

C’est pourquoi

j’adresse cette lettre chez Payot.

Je pense que vous avez reçu une carte de moi, et que entre-temps vous avez lu

l’article que je vous avais annoncé, sur votre Yoga, paru en East and West en même

temps qu’un essai de vous.26

Après avoir reconnu que votre ouvrage “is the most

complete of all these that have been written in the domain of the history of religions

and of Orientalism – one cannot mention another… that stands on the same level”,

je me suis permis de faire certaines remarques critiques sur des points, sur lesquels

nous avons déjà eu l’occasion de parler quand vous étiez à Rome.

Je n’ai pas oublié votre désir de voire paraître en italien votre Eternel retour,27

depuis que je vous ai indiqué pour quelles raisons Yoga est difficile à placer.28

Mais

entre-temps s’est produit un fait fâcheux. L’éditeur, chez lequel je contrôle la

branche orientalisme, mythes, etc., vient de subir une crise très grave (du reste,

comme des autres éditeurs italiens), qui aurait pu donner lieu à un effondrement.

Maintenant il est en train de se relever, mais il faudra du temps avant qu’il puisse

songer à des nouveaux engagements: même la nouvelle édition de mon livre sur le

Graal29

et de Ur,30

bien que déjà composés, sont là à attendre depuis quelques mois.

Dans le mois qui vient paraîtra l’édition de ma Doctrine de l’éveil en français.31

Peux-je vous rappeler votre aimable intention de me transmettre une liste

d’adresses des personnes qui vous plus ou moins connaissez et à lesquelles le livre

pourrait être utilement envoyée?

25

Saint-Cloud is a suburb of Paris, at about 10 km west from the city centre. There, in the new

house of Dr. Roger Godel (45 rue Val d’Or), Eliade and Christinel lived from October 1954 to

June 1955. 26

“Smiths, shamans and mystagogues”, ibidem, pp. 206-215. 27

Le mythe de l’éternel retour, op. cit. 28

Reference to a letter not yet known, most probably sent between December 1954 and

September 1955. 29

Published much later by another house: Il mistero del Graal e la idea imperiale ghibellina, 2nd

revised and expanded edition, Milan: Ceschina, 1962. 30

Introduzione alla magia quale scienza dell’Io, a cura del Gruppo di UR, vol. I-III, Rome:

Fratelli Bocca, 1955. 31 La doctrine de l’éveil. Essai sur l’ascèse bouddhiste, tr. by Pierre Pascal, Paris: Adyar, 1956.

155

A l’occasion, veuillez accepter, cher Monsieur, l’expression de mes souhaits les

meilleurs pour le nouvel an.

J. Evola

J. Evola

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 197

Roma

M.E.P., box 91/2. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in blue ink.

8

Rome, le 26.IV.1962

Cher Monsieur,

Il s’est écoulé pas mal de temps depuis que nous avions été en rapport la

dernière fois.

Je n’ai plus entendu de vous que indirectement. J’ai reçu toutefois vos

nouveaux ouvrages par Gallimard,32

et puisque c’est vous sans doute que lui avez

dit, je vous en remercie.

De ma part, je ne suis pas sur si, à son temps, un exemplaire de ma Metafisica

del sesso33 vous est parvenu; plus récemment vous auriez dû recevoir un nouveau

livre à moi, Cavalcare la tigre,34

qui vient d’attirer l’attention aussi au dehors des

milieux plutôt spécialisés des lectures de la plus grand partie de mes livres. Il vous

a été envoyé par l’éditeur à la même adresse à laquelle maintenant je vous écris et

que le Klett-Verlag35

m’a communiquée.

A certains égards je garde une mentalité quite out of date, au point que je

considère l’Amérique comme un pays dont la distance (pas seulement spirituelle)

est telle de décourager une correspondance. C’est là une raison de mon silence.

Ma considération pour vous s’était considérablement accrue quand, à l’occasion

de votre dernière visite chez moi, vous, en bon européen, m’avez dit d’accepter

32

He refers probably to Naissances mystiques. Essai sur quelques types d’initiation, Paris:

Gallimard, 1959; and Méphistophélès et l’androgyne, ibidem, 1962. 33

Metafisica del sesso, Rome: Atanor, 1958. 34

Cavalcare la tigre, Milan: All’insegna del pesce d’oro, 1961. 35

“Ernst Klett Verlag” from Stuttgart was the publisher of Antaios. Zeitschrift für eine freie

Welt, directed by Eliade and Ernst Jünger (1895-1998) from May 1959 to March 1971 (from

March 1960 without the subtitle). Evola contributed to the journal from 1960 to 1969, but the

editorial work and correspondence was done single-handedly by Philipp Wolff-Windegg. The

same editor published, in 1961, the German translation of Evola’s book Metafisica del sesso.

156

seulement des invitations en Amérique, en gardant votre liberté d’aller et revenir en

Europe. Je me demande si vous avez résisté au tentations de la sirène (à vrais dire, je

voudrais employer une expression un peu plus forte) de l’Amérique US.

Bon, il me fera plaisir si, à l’occasion, vous me ferez savoir quelque chose de

vous. Entre-temps je vous confirme, cher Monsieur Eliade, les sentiments de notre

ancienne et cordiale amitié.

Bien à vous,

J. Evola

J. Evola

Corso Vittorio Emanuele 197 Roma

M.E.P., box 82/9. Typed letter, single sheet, autograph signature in black ink.

ADDENDA

Paolo Boringhieri to Mircea Eliade

1

Giulio Einaudi Editore

Segreteria editoriale Torino

Corso Umberto 5 bis

telefoni 55.37.61/62/63

LF/

Monsieur Mircea Eliade

Hôtel de Suède 31 Rue Vaneau

Paris VII

le 19 Mai 1951

Cher Monsieur,

Nous avons bien reçu votre lettre du 23 Avril et nous avons le plaisir de vous

annoncer que la publication de votre ouvrage Techniques du Yoga a été établie pour

le mois d’octobre prochain.36

Pour ce qui concerne le Traité d’Histoire des

36

The book came out by mid-January 1952. Eliade received it on 28 January. Cf. M. Eliade,

Jurnal, 31 January 1952, M.E.P., box 15/5.

157

Religions, nous espérons de pouvoir inclure ce titre dans notre programme de

publication pour 1952.

Nous sommes contents de pouvoir ainsi vous rassurer à propos des soupçons

dont vous nous avez très franchement fait part dans votre lettre.37

Le retard dans la

publication n’est pas dû seulement à la malheureuse disparition de Pavese mais

aussi à la nécessité de ralentir le rythme de publication comme suite à la diminution

des possibilités d’absorption du marché libraire italien.

Est-ce que vous voulez avoir l’obligeance de nous envoyer une courte notice bio-

bibliographique qui doit nous servir pour le lancement de Techniques du Yoga? Merci.

Entre temps, nous vous prions de croire, cher Monsieur, à tous nos meilleurs

sentiments.

Giulio Einaudi Editore

Boringhieri

M.E.P., box 73/26. Typed letter, single sheet, printed letterhead, autograph signature in black ink.

2

Edizioni Scientifiche Einaudi

s.a.s. Torino

corso Umberto 5 bis

telefoni 55.37.61/62/63

[A] Prof. Mircea Eliade

62 bis rue de la Tour

Paris 16e

Turin, le 16 septembre 1954

Cher Monsieur,

comme suite à votre lettre du 10 Septembre, nous avons le plaisir de vous

communiquer que nous vous avons envoyé sous pli séparé un exemplaire de

l’édition italienne du Traité.38

Nous en enverrons aussi trois exemplaires aux Editions Payot, selon le contrat.

37

On 28 March 1951, in Rome, Eliade wrote in his journal: “I found out from R[affaele]

P[ettazzoni] that since the death of Pavese, who was in charge of the series of ethnological

studies in which my books were going to appear, Einaudi is slighting this series increasingly.”

(tr. by Mac Linscott Ricketts) M.E.P., box 15/4. 38

The book appeared in summer, but with no publicity.

158

Dans l’attente de vous lire, nous vous prions d’agréer nos salutations les plus

empressées.

Edizioni Scientifiche Einaudi

Boringhieri

M.E.P., box 73/26. Typed letter, single sheet, printed letterhead, autograph signature in blue ink.