Scottish-American author Douglas Stuart grew up poor, queer, and the child of a single alcoholic mother in Glasgow. While Shuggie Bain is not autobiographical, Stuart acknowledges the real lived experience which informs the work (for example, Stuart’s father abandoned the family when he was a child and his mother succumbed to her struggle with addiction when he was 16). Because his circumstances dictated that he choose a practical career, he entered textiles which led him into a position with Calvin Klein in New York. He wrote Shuggie Bain over the course of ten years while he worked in fashion, without any intention of publication.
Stuart currently lives and works in New York City. ...
