Douglas Stuart wins Booker for debut novel

London (TIP): New York-based Scottish writer Douglas Stuart has won the prestigious 50,000-pound Booker Prize for his autobiographical debut novel ‘Shuggie Bain’, beating Indian-origin author Avni Doshi’s ‘Burnt Sugar’. ‘Shuggie Bain’ is tale of love and alcoholism set in 1980s Glasgow. Stuart, 44, dedicated the book to his mother, who died of alcoholism when he was 16-year-old. “I cannot believe this. Shuggie is a work of fiction but writing the book was extremely healing for me; hugely cathartic,” Stuart said. “I always wanted to be a writer so this is fulfilling a dream. This has changed my entire life,” he said in his acceptance speech. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, he moved to New York to start a career in fashion design. — PTI