David Guterson

David Guterson (/ˈɡʌtərsən/ GUT-ər-sən; born May 4, 1956) is an American novelist, short story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist. He is best known as the author of the book Snow Falling on Cedars.

David Guterson was born May 4, 1956, in Seattle, Washington the son of criminal defense lawyer Murray Guterson. During his childhood, he attended Seattle Public Schools, went to Roosevelt High School 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.

Before writing professionally, Guterson worked as a teacher for 10 years at the Bainbridge High School. 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. As of 2014 his third, and so far most popular novel, is Snow Falling on Cedars, published in 1994.

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

Guterson is best known as the author of Snow Falling on Cedars (1994), and was the recipient of the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award. To date, the novel has sold nearly four million copies 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 Shepard, and Max von Sydow. It went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for cinematography.

Guterson's subsequent novels include East of the Mountains (1999), Our Lady of the Forest (2003), The Other (2008), and Ed King (2011).

Guterson married Robin Guterson at age 23 and has five children. Currently, he lives on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, and is a co-founder of Field's End, an organization for writers.