Douglas Stuart, New York based- Scottish writer, has won the 2020 Booker Prize. Stuart will be awarded 50,000 pounds as prize money for his autobiographical debut novel 'Shuggie Bain'.&nbsp; 
 
The book is a coming of age tale of love and alcoholism set in the 1980s Glasgow. Stuart beat five other shortlisted authors- including Indian origin Avni Doshi- to win the coveted prize.&nbsp; 
 
Stuart, 44, dedicated the book to his mother, who died of alcoholism when he was 16-years-old. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, he moved to New York to start a career in fashion design. 
 
"I cannot believe this. Shuggie is a work of fiction but writing the book was extremely healing for me; hugely cathartic," Stuart said, adding that he was "absolutely stunned" to win the prize. 
 
"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 on Thursday. 
 
As a designer Stuart has worked for various brands, including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Gap. He took up writing in his pare time nearly a decade ago.&nbsp; 
 
Dubai-based Indian-origin writer Doshi, who was shortlisted among the final six authors for her debut novel 'Burnt Sugar', lost out on the top prize. 
 
She was in the running for this year's prize alongside Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga for the third novel in her trilogy 'This Mournable Body' on a shortlist otherwise dominated by US authors - Diane Cook for 'The New Wilderness', Maaza Mengiste for 'The Shadow King' and Brandon Taylor for 'Real Life'. 
 
The 2020 Booker Prize judging panel was chaired by Margaret Busby, editor, literary critic and former publisher, and consists of author Lee Child; author and critic Sameer Rahim; writer and broadcaster Lemn Sissay; and classicist and translator Emily Wilson. 
 
Interestingly, Stuart's book was rejected by 30 editors before it was picked up by publishers Grove Atlantic in the US and Picador in the UK. 
 
Stuart has described himself as "a working-class kid who had a different career and came to writing late. He is the second Scottish to win the award after James Kelman took the prize in 1994 with 'How Late It Was, How Late' which incidentally changed Stuart's life as it was the first time he saw "my people, my dialect, on the page". 
 
The Booker Prize ceremony this year was very different due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. The ceremony was broadcast from London's Roundhouse. 
 
All six shortlisted authors joined the ceremony via a special screen in the Roundhouse and the event included both virtual and in-person special guests including Barack Obama and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Douglas Stuart, New York based- Scottish writer, has won the 2020 Booker Prize. Stuart will be awarded 50,000 pounds as prize money for his autobiographical debut novel 'Shuggie Bain'.

Douglas Stuart, New York based- Scottish writer, has won the 2020 Booker Prize. Stuart will be awarded 50,000 pounds as prize money for his autobiographical debut novel 'Shuggie Bain'. The book is a coming of age tale of love and alcoholism set in the 1980s Glasgow. Stuart beat five other shortlisted authors- including Indian origin Avni Doshi- to win the coveted prize. Stuart, 44, dedicated the book to his mother, who died of alcoholism when he was 16-years-old. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in London, he moved to New York to start a career in fashion design. "I cannot believe this. Shuggie is a work of fiction but writing the book was extremely healing for me; hugely cathartic," Stuart said, adding that he was "absolutely stunned" to win the prize. "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 on Thursday. As a designer Stuart has worked for various brands, including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Gap. He took up writing in his pare time nearly a decade ago. Dubai-based Indian-origin writer Doshi, who was shortlisted among the final six authors for her debut novel 'Burnt Sugar', lost out on the top prize. She was in the running for this year's prize alongside Zimbabwean writer Tsitsi Dangarembga for the third novel in her trilogy 'This Mournable Body' on a shortlist otherwise dominated by US authors - Diane Cook for 'The New Wilderness', Maaza Mengiste for 'The Shadow King' and Brandon Taylor for 'Real Life'. The 2020 Booker Prize judging panel was chaired by Margaret Busby, editor, literary critic and former publisher, and consists of author Lee Child; author and critic Sameer Rahim; writer and broadcaster Lemn Sissay; and classicist and translator Emily Wilson. Interestingly, Stuart's book was rejected by 30 editors before it was picked up by publishers Grove Atlantic in the US and Picador in the UK. Stuart has described himself as "a working-class kid who had a different career and came to writing late. He is the second Scottish to win the award after James Kelman took the prize in 1994 with 'How Late It Was, How Late' which incidentally changed Stuart's life as it was the first time he saw "my people, my dialect, on the page". The Booker Prize ceremony this year was very different due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown. The ceremony was broadcast from London's Roundhouse. All six shortlisted authors joined the ceremony via a special screen in the Roundhouse and the event included both virtual and in-person special guests including Barack Obama and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Scottish author Douglas Stuart wins 2020 Booker Prize as Indian-origin author Avni Doshi misses out 

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Scottish author Douglas Stuart wins 2020 Booker Prize as Indian-origin author Avni Doshi misses out