AustLit

'When she was 22, Sofija Stefanovic was a contestant in a pageant to determine the “beauty queen of a country that no longer exists.” The competition for the title of Miss Ex-Yugoslavia was held in Australia, the country to which Ms. Stefanovic’s family had moved when the author, born in Belgrade in 1982, was 5. “It’s a weird idea for a competition — bringing young women from a war-torn country together to be objectified,” Ms. Stefanovic writes, “but in our little diaspora, we’re used to contradictions.” Having lived through the mounting political tensions in Yugoslavia, which led to a decade of war, Ms. Stefanovic had to adjust to life in a calmer but very different place. In her new memoir, she writes about the trials of immigration with seriousness but also a disarming humor. Below, she discusses the onstage performances she delivered that inspired her to write the book, her admiration for the creativity of certain revolutionaries and more.' (Introduction)