Although he received critical praise for his collection of short stories and his nonfiction treatise on the value of home schooling, David Guterson's third book and first novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, was purchased by Harcourt Brace for only $15,000, after several other publishers rejected it. Snow Falling on Cedars went on to win the PEN/Faulkner award, among others, and provided Guterson with popular as well as critical success.
Childhood and Undergraduate Education. Guterson was born the third of five children on May 4, 1956, to Murray and Shirley Guterson, in Seattle, Washington. His father was a criminal lawyer and somewhat of a local celebrity. Guterson credits his father for teaching him two important tenets for life: "Find something you love to do — before you think about money — and do something that you feel has a positive impact on the world." Guterson spent his childhood outdoors, with fishing being one of his most popular pastimes. During his teenage years he committed what he called "minor acts of rebellion and delinquency," and led, overall, what he called an average existence.
When he enrolled in the University of Washington, Guterson first studied a variety of assorted courses, including anthropology and oceanography, but during his junior year, he enrolled in a short-story writing course, and "from day one I felt like this was it." Guterson had found his calling in life — to be a writer.
