Mcgarvey struggling after writing prize win

Award-winning Scotsman columnist Darren Mcgarvey has revealed his difficulties in adjusting to his overnight success as an “in demand writer”.

Mcgarvey, also known as Loki, won the 2018 Orwell Prize for political writing for Poverty Safari, with judges describing it as “exactly the book that Orwell would have wanted to win”. The book details Mcgarvey’s life growing up in poverty on a council scheme in Glasgow and is regarded as giving voice to Britain’s underclass.

However, in his Scotsman column today, Mcgarvey says he is suffering from exhaustion trying to deal with all the sudden requests to talk about his experiences since winning the prestigious prize.

He writes: “Complaining about the fact I feel like I am on the cliff-edge of a mental health crisis seems utterly futile because, from the outside, it appears I am enjoying wonderful, unprecedented success.

“More people than ever seem to want to speak to me, for different reasons. Some just want to say, ‘Well done’ and others want to share their stories. Some want to me to come and visit their projects and others want to buy the film and TV rights to my life story.”