In a new article, Davide Marino has traced the development of Julius Evola’s thought by comparing his two translations of the Dàodéjīng, one published in 1923 and the other in 1959. It is “The Tao of Julius Evola,” Vienna Journal of East Asian Studies (2024), available here (open access).
According to the abstract,
Evola had no knowledge of the Chinese language, and his works were retranslations of materials available at his time to which he added his own personal ideas…. [He moved] from an interpretation of the Dàodéjīng characterised by a mix of Dadaism, Hegelian Idealism, and occultism to a version in line with Traditionalism… [but] despite changing his vocabulary and sources, Evola continued to seek confirmation of his solipsistic theory of the ‘Absolute Individual’ in the ancient Chinese text.
1 comment:
Aleister Crowley was another esotericist who was ignorant of Chinese (well, mostly; I assume he picked up some of the local dialects when he travelled over south China in 1905) who published his own 'translation' of Lao Tzu based on existing translations. In his case, he was very up front about it being a vehicle for his own ideas rather than an attempt to transmit the original meaning.
Once again I am curious how Crowley and Evola never seemed to have had any direct contact with one another.
Post a Comment