I invited Daily Maverick's Mark Heywood (himself an author, and also a well-known activist who has spent decades fighting for justice) to join me to talk about Young Mungo, the second novel written by brilliant Douglas Stuart. Stuart won the Booker Prize for his stunning debut, Shuggie Bain.
I couldn't ask for a better guest than Mark. He has a deep love of literature and of reading - he really remains a student of literature - and he found the evocative writing of Stuart in both of his novels to be moving, and a brilliant exposition of important structural realities and injustices in Great Britain that endure beyond the 1980s.
In this podcast episode, we delved into the major themes of these works (with a closer focus on Young Mungo). With Mark's intimate knowledge of the country where he spent time during his early years (he was schooled in Yorkshire), and of his beloved South Africa, he shone light on the many interesting layers beneath the shocking, dramatic and melancholic storylines of/in Young Mungo. The comparisons between Glasgow/Scotland, and our own community/communities here, are manifold.
[Enjoy the podcast. Buy the book. And remember to subscribe to In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser before you leave your preferred podcast platform. Kindly also rate the podcast on your app, and leave a comment.]
Here, for your further interest, is my written review of the book too:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-05-19-book-review-the-quiet-violence-of-young-mungo/