A Stranger in Paradise

Ivan Bilbin, Igor’s Campaign, 1941.

1,520 words

It is often said that a new year can be the start of a new life. Along with my own year-end traditions, I have always spent New Year’s Eve reflecting on the past while looking forward to each new year. Due to the events of 2020, it is difficult for many of us to have a positive outlook for the future. After reading The Tale of Igor’s Campaign this week, I was reminded that our ancestors have also faced difficult times and uncertain futures. From epic poems to classic songs, their tales have inspired our people to carry on and to make the most of every day, season, and year.

Since New Year’s Eve occurred during the Christmas break from school, I would always stay up as a kid to watch the New Year’s Eve countdown on TV.  At midnight, the fireworks from various cities would be displayed with all the people partying in the downtown areas. As a teenager, I always wanted to be one of those people celebrating in a major metropolitan city on New Year’s Eve. That wish would come true for me as an adult.

After college, I relocated to Scandinavia and celebrated New Year’s Eve in the city centers of Bergen, Copenhagen, and Dresden. Within the last few years, I have spent New Year’s Eve in Ukraine, Latvia, and Hungary. Although I was fortunate enough to spend some of these moments with girlfriends and heavy metal musicians, I spent most of these times alone. Regardless of my location, I always made sure to watch The Irony of Fate in the evening and to spend the last hours of the year outside around other people. Even when I was alone, I ended up chatting and drinking with local people as we waited for the countdown and fireworks. While I sometimes felt like a stranger in paradise, I always had a great time on New Year’s Eve.

Many of our people admit to feeling like strangers in their own countries. European societies that were once homogenous paradises have slowly turned into multicultural hellholes. Our governments (with the help of Jewish-led NGOs) have imported Africans and Middle Easterners for votes, cheap labor, and our demographic replacement. These invaders are financially supported by our taxes while they beat, rape, and murder white people every day. At the same time, anti-white propaganda is openly promoted by academia, media, and tech corporations. If white people speak out against these issues, they risk losing their job, getting doxed, and even face legal repercussions in certain countries. While these problems have been increasing over the last few years, life still seemed somewhat normal back in 2019.

The events of 2020 seemed to get worse with each passing month. The emergence of COVID-19 at the beginning of the year gave our governments the excuse to implement draconian lockdown measures. As local restaurants and family-owned businesses were forced to close, the drug overdose of George Floyd sparked riots that led to the destruction of cities, retail stores, and historical monuments. While almost every global corporation supported this movement, most of our governments and politicians were unwilling to stop the ongoing violence caused by Antifa and BLM. To make matters worse, overt voter fraud was implemented throughout the US to steal the presidential election from Donald Trump. As 2020 ends, white people face extended lockdowns, economic instability, and social upheaval. The question remains: will 2021 be better, worse, or the same as 2020?

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Sometimes the best way to predict the future is to look to the past. While our ancestors would have a hard time understanding the technological world we live in today, they understood the constant threat of plagues, wars, and invasions. Despite these threats, many rulers and warriors led their people through the darkest of times. One such hero was Prince Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave. Prince Igor was a Rus prince of the Rurik Dynasty that ruled over Novgorod-Seversk and Chernihiv (areas located in modern-day Ukraine). During his reign in the 12th century, Igor protected his people from the Turkic invaders known as the Cumans.

After several successful campaigns against the Cumans, Igor suffered only one defeat in 1185. While pursuing a Cuman raiding party, Igor and his soldiers were surrounded by a larger army. Instead of retreating, Igor decided to fight the Cumans to prevent them from attacking his people and their lands. Most of Igor’s soldiers were killed and Igor was taken prisoner. Igor eventually escaped and warned the other Rus princes of the encroaching Cuman forces. His heroic deeds have become immortalized in The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.

The Tale of Igor’s Campaign is an epic poem written by an anonymous author in the Old East Slavic language around 1190. The story follows Prince Igor and members of his army during their battle against the Cumans in 1185. The poem depicts a unique balance between the ancient Slavic religion and Christianity. Nature also plays a large role in the poem as rivers, animals, and howling winds communicate with Prince Igor and his wife Yaroslavna. The poem also calls for the Rus princes to unite and defend their lands against the foreign invaders. The Tale of Igor’s Campaign has become a Russian national epic and was the main inspiration for a famous Russian opera.

Alexander Borodin was a 19th-century Russian composer that worked with other composers of his time to create and promote Russian-themed music. In 1869, one of Borodin’s colleagues suggested that Borodin compose an opera based on The Tale of Igor’s Campaign. Borodin liked the idea and decided to create an opera called Prince Igor. Borodin worked on this opera for several years until his death in 1887. With the opera left unfinished, Alexander Glazunov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov worked together to complete Borodin’s opera. The two composers finished Prince Igor in 1890 and it premiered the same year. Although popular in Russia, the opera is less known in the West. However, most people today have probably heard a particular melody that originated from Prince Igor.

“Stranger in Paradise” is a song written by Robert Wright and George Forrest for the 1953 musical Kizmet. The melody of the song was taken from Prince Igor. While the original song in the musical was performed by a man and a woman, later versions were changed for male solo artists. The most popular version was sung by Tony Bennett. The melody of this song has been used in countless commercials and TV shows like The Simpsons. Whether coincidence or not, this melody gets stuck in my head every time I spend New Year’s Eve alone in Europe. Even if I feel like a stranger in paradise during these times, I still feel lucky to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a downtown area with other white people.

With all the craziness of 2020, I try to remind myself that our ancestors also faced difficult challenges in uncertain times. While many of Prince Igor’s soldiers were killed by the Cumans, an unknown author composed The Tale of Igor’s Campaign to keep their memories alive. When Borodin died before completing his opera, Glazunov and Korsakov worked together to bring Prince Igor to life. And whenever I spend New Year’s Eve alone, their melodies keep me feeling optimistic for the future.

Whatever happens next year, the Dissident Right will continue to adapt and survive by learning from our mistakes while building on our successes. As things get worse for the average white person, our influence and outreach will continue to grow. Most importantly, I hope that our community creates more art, music, and literature. Art creates culture and culture creates community. With growing communities, white people can come together to stand up for their lands, their sovereignty, and their identity. And whether you believe in New Year’s resolutions or not, we all have a similar goal to secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.

Wherever you are this New Year’s Eve, please remember not to drink and drive or get into a car with a driver who has been drinking. As for my plans, I will watch The Irony of Fate around 7:00 PM and then walk to the downtown area by 11:00 PM. As I wait for the clock to strike midnight, I will have a certain melody stuck in my head as I reflect on this year and all the heroes that came before me. With any luck, their bravery and perseverance will follow me into the new year. Until then, I will enjoy another New Year’s Eve as a stranger in paradise.

As a wanderer and a dissident, I hope you have a safe and happy New Year.

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