David Guterson ( ; born May 4, 1956) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist. He is best known as the author of the bestselling

Japanese American internment During World War II, the United States forcibly relocated and incarcerated about 120,000 people of Japanese descent in ten concentration camps operated by the War Relocation Authority (WRA), mostly in the western interior of the country. Abou ...

novel '' Snow Falling on Cedars''.

Early life

Guterson was born May4, 1956 in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington, the son of criminal defense lawyer Murray Guterson. He attended

Seattle Public Schools Seattle Public Schools is the largest Public school (government funded), public school district in the state of Washington (state), Washington. The school district serves almost all of Seattle. Additionally it includes sections of Boulevard Par ...

and Roosevelt High School, then the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

, where he earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in English literature and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

in creative writing. He is also a

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

Teaching, writing

Before writing professionally, Guterson worked as a teacher for 10 years at Bainbridge High School. During that time he began having stories and essays published in small magazines and periodicals, and eventually sold pieces to ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' and ''

Harper's Magazine ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

''. His first book, ''The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind'' (1989) is a collection of short stories set mostly in the Pacific Northwest. His second book, ''Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense'' (1992) contains essays on family and education. Guterson's freelance journalism included articles on environmental issues, travel writing and human interest features.

''Snow Falling on Cedars'', subsequent work

Guterson is best known as the author of '' Snow Falling on Cedars'' (1994), for which he received the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award. To date, it has sold nearly four million copies and was adapted into the 1999 film of the same title. His subsequent novels include '' East of the Mountains'' (1999), which was adapted into a movie of the same title in 2021, ''Our Lady of the Forest'' (2003), ''The Other'' (2008) and ''Ed King'' (2011).

Personal life

Guterson married his wife Robin when he was 23. They live on Bainbridge Island in

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

and have five children and three grandchildren. He is a co-founder of Field's End, an organization for writers.

Bibliography

* ''The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind: Stories'' (1989) * ''Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense'' (Non-fiction) (1992) * '' Snow Falling on Cedars'' (1994) * ''The Drowned Son'' (Stories)(1996) * '' East of the Mountains'' (1999) * ''Our Lady of the Forest'' (2003) * ''The Other'' (2008) * ''Ed King'' (2011) * ''Songs for a Summons'' (Poetry) (Feb. 10, 2014) * ''Problems with People: Stories'' (June 3, 2014) * ''Turn Around Time: A Walking Poem for the Pacific Northwest'' (September 2019) * ''The Final Case'' (January 11, 2022)

References

External links

David Guterson biographyDavid Guterson
on fantasticfiction.co.uk * at the Internet Book List

Review of East of the Mountains (film) at rogertebert.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Guterson, David 1956 births Living people American male journalists 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male essayists American male novelists American male poets Homeschooling advocates Writers from Seattle University of Washington College of Arts and Sciences alumni Writers from Bainbridge Island, Washington PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction winners American male short story writers 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Washington (state) Jewish novelists