David Guterson was born in Seattle on May 4, 1956. His father is a distinguished criminal defense lawyer.

Guterson received his M.A. from the University of Washington. It was there that he developed his ideas about the moral function of literature: "Fiction writers shouldn't dictate to people what their morality should be," he said in an interview.

Guterson married at the age of 23. Together with their first born son they spent 4 months in Europe, living in a Volkswagen van purchased at an American military base in Germany. Bankrupt, they went back to Seattle, where he delivered newspapers each morning at 3am.

After moving to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, Guterson taught English at the local high school and began writing for Sports Illustrated and Harper's.

His books include "Snow Falling on Cedars," which won the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award, and "Our Lady of The Forest" published in 2003.

Guterson said in an interview, "I like to be out of doors and on foot as much as possible. I've roamed extensively across Washington State, where the vast majority of my published work is set."