Literary studies often encounter writers whose output includes both literature and propaganda. The response may be to avoid ideologically tainted writers, or to separate the work from its creator. I rather seek to explore how various forms of expression relate to each other in the work of an artist who is active both as a fascist propagandist, ideologue and musician: Varg Vikernes, the individual behind Burzum.
I take Bataille’s solar economy as my theoretical framework and situate myself within a field of studies that is attracted to fascist culture without adhering to a fascist ideology. First, I sketch out the relationship between fascism, literature and the marketplace of ideas. Then, I explore the relationship between the politics of Vikernes and the music of Burzum with a particular focus on Reflections on European Mythology and Polytheism (2015) and Belus (2010). I conclude that while both express the creator’s worldview, they also demonstrate how this worldview may be channeled into very different outputs.