The biography, released in Italian in 2024, is 768 pages long in the English translation. It is not an objective scholarly study: Scarabelli works with the Fondazione J. Evola, and the French translation carried an introduction by Alain de Benoist, now translated into English. It follows academic convection, however, citing its (many) sources, even if it occasionally departs from academic sobriety, for example using the term “ravings” to describe the contents of the Revue internationale des sociétés secrètes.
Scarabelli divides Evola’s life into ten phases, giving rise to an equal number of chapters. They are
- Julius Evola’s First Life (1898–1922)
- Philosophy, Esotericism, and Politics (1923–1926)
- Mornings of the Magicians (1927–1929)
- Interregnum (1930–1934)
- A European Secret Order (1935–1939)
- The End of a World (1940–1943)
- From One Italy to Another (1943–1948)
- Forced Holidays (1949–1958)
- Julius Evola’s Second Life (1959–1968)
- Finis Coronat Opus (1969–1974)
The biography provides a complete account of Evola’s life. It goes into great detail about who he met, when and where, and gives background information at length, one reason why it is so long. We learn what Evola was working on at each moment. It is written very much from Evola’s own perspective, but does not attempt to conceal what Evola himself conceded. His involvement with Fascism and Nazism is covered in detail, as is the fact that, although he later stressed that he had never joined the Fascist Party, he did actually apply to join it.
What Julius Evola: An Adventurous Life arguably lacks is analysis. This is what sets it apart from recent articles published in Aries (see here), for example. It will, however, provide valuable support for those who are themselves interested in doing critical analysis.
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