One of the most celebrated novels of 2020 now has a mural of its own.
An arts collective in Glasgow, Scotland, unveiled a mural based on Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain earlier this month, the Scottish newspaper the National reports.
The 30-foot-by-60-foot mural features a depiction of Shuggie, the young protagonist of the novel, dancing, and features a quote from the book, “You’ll not remember the city you were too wee, but there’s dancing. All kinds of dancing.”
Stuart’s debut novel was one of the most critically acclaimed books of last year. It was the winner of the Booker Prize, and a finalist for the Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize.
The mural is the brainchild of Erin Bradley-Scott, Chelsea Frew, and Kat Loudon, three artists who make up the Cobolt Collective.
“Having read Shuggie Bain at the start of this year, we were beyond delighted to be asked to paint a mural to celebrate the powerfully beautiful novel set in our beloved hometown of Glasgow,” the artists said, according to the BBC.
Stuart said he was “incredibly honored” to have his book depicted in the mural.
“I hope the mural inspires other weans to dream big with their creativity,” he said, using a Scottish word meaning children. “It’s definitely one of the proudest moments of my life.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
