Thursday, Oct 22, 2026
Focus on the big picture

Bryony Gordon's Mad World: Douglas Stuart | Podcast

Telegraph, 14 Apr 2021
Follow Bryony Gordon's Mad World for free to make sure you never miss an episode: https://www.playpodca.st/madworld​

Winning the Booker Prize is a serious coup for any writer, but for author Douglas Stuart the achievement is personal as well as professional: successfully channeling childhood trauma into art. The result is his debut novel, Shuggie Bain, which follows the childhood of a young boy, Shuggie, and his alcoholic mother, Agnes, and was loosely based on Douglas' own life growing up in Glasgow. Douglas joins Bryony from his home in New York to discuss why representation drives his desire to write, and to explain why sometimes just getting by is the bravest thing you can do. Plus he gives listeners a cheeky glimpse into the subject of his next book.

Mad World is The Telegraph's award-winning podcast featuring conversations about getting unwell - and getting better - with columnist Bryony Gordon. Because mental health deserves to be talked about.

Read Bryony's columns: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/bryony-gordon/

For 30 days' free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/madworld

Subscribe to The Telegraph on YouTube ► https://bit.ly/3idrdLH

Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
Related Articles