David Guterson

David Guterson
Born	May 4, 1956 (1956-05-04) (age 55) Seattle, Washington
Alma mater	University of Washington

David Guterson ( /ˈɡʌtərsən/ gut-ər-sən; born May 4, 1956) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist.

Early life

David Guterson was born May 4, 1956, in Seattle, Washington. During his childhood, he attended Seattle public schools and later attended the University of Washington where he earned Bachelor of Arts Degree in English literature and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. Guterson is also a Guggenheim Fellow.

Career

Before writing professionally, Guterson worked as a teacher for 12 years. It was during his teaching career that Guterson began to publish stories and essays in small magazines and periodicals, later selling pieces to Esquire, Sports Illustrated and Harper's Magazine. Published in 1989, his first book, The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind was a collection of short stories set mostly in the Pacific Northwest. His second book, Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, was published in 1992 and contained essays on family and education. His third, and so far most popular novel, was Snow Falling on Cedars, published in 1994.^{[citation needed]}

Guterson's freelance journalism included articles on environmental issues, travel writing and human interest features.^[1]

Work

Guterson is best known as the author of Snow Falling on Cedars (1994), recipient of the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award. To date, the novel has sold nearly four million copies^{[citation needed]} and was adapted into a screenplay for the 1999 film of the same title. The film was directed by Scott Hicks and starred Ethan Hawke, James Cromwell, Sam Shepherd, and Max von Sydow and went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for cinematography.

Guterson's subsequent novels have been East of the Mountains (1999), Our Lady of the Forest (2003), and The Other (2008).

Personal life

Guterson married at age 23 and has four children. Currently, he lives on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound^{[citation needed]} and is a co-founder of Field's End, an organization for writers.^[2]

Bibliography

• The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind: Stories (1989)
• Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense (1992)
• Snow Falling on Cedars (1994)
• The Drowned Son (1996)
• East of the Mountains (1999)
• Our Lady of the Forest (2003)
• The Other (2008)
• Ed King (2010)

References

1. ^ University of Maine, Farmington; David Guterson biography
2. ^ Field's End

External links

• David Guterson biography
• David Guterson on fantasticfiction.co.uk
• David Guterson at the Internet Book List

Persondata
Name	Guterson, David
Alternative names
Short description	Novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist
Date of birth	May 4, 1956
Place of birth	Seattle, Washington, United States
Date of death
Place of death