David Guterson

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Guterson's novel Snow Falling on Cedars
Guterson's novel Snow Falling on Cedars

David Guterson (pronounced Gət-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 novel Snow Falling on Cedars (1994), which won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award. To date it has sold nearly four million copies. It was adapted for a 1999 film of the same title, directed by Scott Hicks and starring Ethan Hawke. The film received an Academy Award nomination for cinematography. Guterson's subsequent novels are East of the Mountains (1999), Our Lady of the Forest (2003), and The Other (2008). He is also the author of a short story collection, The Country Ahead of Us, the Country Behind (1989) and of a book of essays on education called Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense (1992).

Guterson was born in Seattle, Washington, and received an M.A. from the University of Washington. A Guggenheim Fellow, and a former contributing editor to Harper's magazine, he is a co-founder of Field's End, an organization for writers.


[edit] Quotations

"It doesn't matter who you are, how many awards you've won, how popular you are, or how much critical acclaim you've had. When it comes time to sit down and write the next book, you're deathly afraid that you're not up to the task."

"I can't blame any human being from staring into the abyss and coming away despondent. The real question is: How do you react? What do you do next? Evade responsibilities? Bury yourself in work? What do you do? All of my novels take up that question, although none gives an answer."

"I'm interested in themes that endure from generation to generation.... Every culture is sustained by certain central myths. At its heart, fiction's role is to see these ... myths are sustained."

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] References