Barbie in the Bunker: Childhood, War, and Imagination

Join us for a conversation with Croatian author Maša Kolanović about her novel Underground Barbie (trans. Ena Selimović), moderated by Dr. Mary Neuburger, a historian of modern Eastern Europe and Director of UT Austin’s Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Maša will also be joined by local writer Taisia Kitaiskaia for a short reading. Set in Zagreb in the early 1990s, Underground Barbie follows a generation of children coming of age as the socialist world they had inherited was collapsing before their eyes, while a new Croatia and capitalist consumer culture was rapidly taking over. At the center of the book is Barbie: an emblem of American popular culture that enters a child’s imagination just as war enters everyday life. The conversation will explore the novel’s intersections of socialism and emerging capitalism, the appropriation and transformation of American popular culture, gender roles, and the experience of war through a child’s perspective. We will also discuss Underground Barbie as a work of anti-war literature, and the ways humor, play, fantasy, and subversive imagination can become forms of resistance in times of violence. At its heart, the novel asks what happens when the intimate world of childhood collides with the “big stories” of history. What can dolls, games, friendships, and small acts of imagination tell us that official political narratives cannot? And how might these seemingly minor, personal stories challenge the grand narratives through which war and political upheaval are usually remembered? Presented by UT Austin's Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. ✦✦✦ ABOUT THE GUESTS ✦✦✦ Maša Kolanović is a prize-winning author and full professor of modern and contemporary Croatian literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, best known for her genre-bending works of fiction and research of literature and pop culture during socialism and transition in Croatian and Yugoslavia. Her books include the poetry collection (Leeches for the Lonely, 2001), the novels (Underground Barbie, 2008; Motherlandia, 2026), the prose poem Jamerika (2013), the short story collection (Dear Pests and Other Creepy Stories, 2019), academic books (Shock worker! Rebel? Consumer…Popular Culture and Croatian Novel from Socialism to Transition, 2011 Metaphor for Capitalism: Economic Imagery of the United States in 20th Century Croatian Literature, 2024), edited volumes and numerous articles. She received the 2020 EU Prize for Literature, the Pula Book Fair Audience Award, and the Vladimir Nazor Prize for Literature. Mary Neuburger is a Professor of History at The University of Texas at Austin, the Vacek Distinguished University Chair in Russian and Slavic Languages, and the Director of the Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at UT Austin. Professor Neuburger's research focus is on modern eastern Europe with a specialization in southeastern Europe. Dr. Neuburger is the author of three monographs, three edited books, and numerous articles. Her books include, The Orient Within: Muslim Minorities and the Negotiation of Nationhood in Modern Bulgaria (Cornell 2004), Balkan Smoke: Tobacco and the Making of Modern Bulgaria (Cornell, 2012), and Ingredients of Change: The History and Culture of Food in Modern Bulgaria (Cornell, 2022). Dr. Neuburger is also the co-editor with Paulina Bren of Communism Unwrapped: Consumption in Cold War Eastern Europe (Oxford, 2012), and Wider Arc of Revolution: The Global Impact of 1917 (2 volumes), with Choi Chatterjee, Steven Sabol, and Steven Marks, Slavica Press, 2019. Taisia Kitaiskaia’s debut novel, Night in the Wishing Orchard, is forthcoming from William Morrow (HarperCollins) in 2028. She has authored four previous books, most recently The Nightgown and Other Poems. Her work has appeared in Best American Short Stories, McSweeney’s, and American Short Fiction, among other publications. A recipient of fellowships from MacDowell and Yaddo, she teaches at the Michener Center for Writers. Established in 1984, UT Austin's Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies - CREEES to our friends - boasts more than 80 faculty affiliates from over 20 units across UT Austin's campus. As a hub for interdisciplinary programming, CREEES sponsors major conferences, workshops, and symposia, as well as cultural events meant to strengthen scholarly and colloquial understanding of the region. CREEES is a supportive and vibrant culture of networkers, changemakers, and dynamic scholars; we'd love to have you! ✦✦✦ ACCESSIBILITY & PARKING INFO ✦✦✦ PARKING: Alienated Majesty is located at 613 W 29th St. We share a limited amount of parking spots in our commercial lot with three other businesses (so carpooling is recommended if you can!). You can also find free and paid street parking options in the surrounding neighborhood. There is one designated accessible parking spot on the side of the lot facing Rio Grande. ENTRANCE: Our main entrance is accessible via ramp and opens manually. If you need assistance with opening the door, feel free to contact us ahead of time to let us know. RESTROOM: Our public restroom is single-occupancy and wheelchair-accessible. If you have any additional questions about accessing the space, feel free to call us at 512-243-6679 or email pr@alienatedmajestybooks.com. ✦✦✦ ABOUT ALIENATED MAJESTY BOOKS ✦✦✦ Alienated Majesty Books wants to introduce you to the most interesting literature across the country. We love the DIY and international side of publishing, with half our stock focused on works in translation. Our booksellers give thoughtful, intentional recommendations from our curated collection of leastselling books, zines, and indie comics. From our literary screening series with AFS Cinema to our afterhours DIY punk shows, we provide an inclusive gathering space for those who share in our love of the underground and underrepresented. Check out our full events schedule here.