BOOKER 2020 GIFT WINNERS Douglas Stuart adorned the first digital edition of the Litfest along with the author Ira Mukhoty, who asked some very deep and meaningful questions.
The conversation began with Ira asking Douglas about the process of writing and publishing behind his ideas ‘Shuggie Bain’ in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
Responding to his question, Douglas said, “It took almost 10-12 years to write and then publish Shuggie, and it was a difficult trip along the way.
This book was published on February 2020 – just two weeks before the pandemic.
Initially, it was a sense of sadness Having high hopes about something and then all of them became broken.
So I limited my expectations after Shuggie was published in the United States.
”
“Even won a booker, which was once a life opportunity for me, had felt a little real because everything happened through the screen,” he added.
Speaking of the “immigrant experience” written Stuart in his book, he mentioned that the distance between him and his home country brought clarity around the 1980s Glasgow, and let it back and see the important part for him.
Also, it caused a real longing and longing to him.
Emphasizing one of the main characters of the ‘Agnes’ novel, Stuart said, “Agnes is a very realistic and humble dreamer.
He wants very real things.
But 2 things in this book conspire to him.
The first is the role of women in The community at that time and how they were controlled by men in their lives.
”
He then talked about his relationship with his mother: “I saw my mother chewing patriarchy, and therefore, I lost him when I was 16 years old.
I hope to write with a sense of loss, sense of sadness, and love because I just want to set time and Events on the page without too many judgments, “Stuart said.
The conversation ended with Ira asking Stuart about the next book, he had written.
Reply, he said, “I want to write about love.
But I want to talk about love between 2 young men.
The end of Shuggie Bain left me feeling that I wanted to write this very big love story between these two young people between two young people .
The working class man separated by territorial gangs.
They are asked by the community to act like a real man when everything they want is to love each other.
“
