Scottish American author Douglas Stuart has won the 2020 Booker Prize for his debut novel, Shuggie Bain. The semi-autobiographical story follows the story of a young boy growing up in poverty in 1980s Glasgow with a mother battling addiction.
Douglas Stuart is a working-class Brit who says by his own admission he came to writing late.
Shuggie Bain follows the lead character Shuggie as he attempts to care for his alcoholic mother, Agnes. The novel is dedicated to Stuart’s mother, who died of alcoholism when he was just 16 years old.
Upon winning the tearful Stuart described himself as absolutely stunned and thanked his mother who he says is “on every page of this book – I’ve been clear without her I wouldn’t be here, my work wouldn’t be here”.
The Booker Prize is an annual literary prize with a £50,000 cash award. Back in August the 2020 longlist was announced, known as the Booker Dozen, and in September this list became a six book shortlist, from which the winner was chosen.
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