Scottish writer Douglas Stuart was BOTD in 1976. Born in Glasgow to a working class family, he was raised by his mother after his father left the family home. His mother’s battle with alcoholism and drug addiction, resulting in her death when Stuart was 16, informed much of his later writing. After completing high school, he studied at the Scottish College of Textiles and the Royal College of Art. He moved to America in his 20s, establishing a successful career as a fashion designer for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic. He exploded onto the literary scene with his 2020 debut novel Shuggie Bain, a harrowing drama about a young gay boy growing up with his drug addicted mother in 1980s Glasgow. A critical success and international bestseller, it won the 2020 Man Booker Prize, launching Stuart to global celebrity. His follow-up novel Young Mungo, the tragic love story of teenaged gay lovers in Glasgow, was also widely acclaimed. Openly gay since forever, he lives in New York City with his husband Michael Cary.