Each of these three authors has looked directly into the dark corners of life; sharing violence with unflinching prose that nevertheless keeps us reading. Gabriel Krauze was longlisted for the Booker for his astonishing, visceral autobiographical novel, Who They Was, about life as a London gang member, well-acquainted with drugs, guns, stabbings, and robbery. Douglas Stuart captivated the globe (and won the Booker) with tales of working class Glasgow in Shuggie Bain and now Young Mungo. Violaine Huisman has written a “marvelous… superbly effective” debut about a young woman living with a damaged mother who veers between dizzying heights and terrible lows. How do these authors confront such darkness? How does their writing affect how they perceive trauma? This promises to be an unforgettable conversation with international writers. Moderated by Aislinn Hunter.

Event Participants:

Violaine Huisman

VIOLAINE HUISMAN was born in Paris and has lived in New York for twenty years, where she ran the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s literary series. Her debut novel The Book of Mother was awarded the Prix Françoise Sagan. (UNITED STATES/FRANCE) Presented thanks to the support of the Consulate General of France in Vancouver and Alliance Française.

Aislinn Hunter

AISLINN HUNTER is the author of eight highly acclaimed books, including the bestseller The Certainties and The World Before Us, winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Her work has been adapted into music, dance, art, and film forms—including a feature film based on her novel Stay. She teaches creative writing part-time. (BRITISH COLUMBIA)

Gabriel Krauze

GABRIEL KRAUZE grew up in London in a Polish family and was drawn to a life of crime and gangs. Now he has left that world behind, and is recapturing his life through writing. Who They Was, his first novel, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and named a Best Book of 2021 by Time. (UNITED KINGDOM)

Douglas Stuart

DOUGLAS STUART is the author of Shuggie Bain, which won the 2020 Booker Prize and the Sue Kaufman Prize. It was also the winner of two British Book Awards and a finalist for many others, like the PEN/Hemingway Award and the National Book Award. Young Mungo is his latest novel. (SCOTLAND/UNITED STATES)

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