Uloga moje porodice u svetskoj revoluciji

My Family's Role in the World Revolution by Bora Ćosić (1969) is a short novel, winner of the NIN award, and one of the most important works of Serbian (and Yugoslav) literature of the second half of the 20th century. It is written from the perspective of the boy Bora, which provides a naive, simple, almost diary-like narrative that masterfully reveals the absurdity of major historical events.

The plot follows the life of a large, dysfunctional Belgrade family during World War II and immediately after it, during the establishment of socialism. The main characters are: a paranoid and disorganized Mom, an alcoholic Dad who cannot hold down a job, a grandfather who doubts everything, an uncle (a transvestite), two aunts obsessed with Hollywood stars, and the narrator – the boy Bora. The family lives in constant chaos: they constantly talk, argue, recite, draw, eat, cry, and dream. War and occupation are almost secondary to them – family rituals and trifles are more important.

Ćosić ingeniously uses humor and absurdity to criticize and demystify great historical events. The revolution enters the house through the partisans and the new authorities who occupy the apartment, preach equality, but bring new bureaucracy, injustice and hypocrisy. The sentences are short, naive, like children's, but polished to perfection – each one carries a multi-layered meaning. The laughter is liberating, subversive and bitter; in the end the boy realizes that everything was that way or even worse.

The book is an autobiographical family epic, but also a sharp satire on the communist revolution, myths about the partisans and the new social order. It shows how ideology enters everyday life, changes relationships and turns ordinary people into players in a grand play. The style is innovative, modern, full of irony, an inventory of objects, language and the madness of the era.

The novel was dramatized twice in Atelje 212, and a film Bate Čengić (1971) was made based on it, which was soon banned. Today it is considered a must-read for understanding the Yugoslav 20th century – witty, painful and deeply humane. It can be read on any page and always brings a smile and recognition.