David James Duncan
Photo by Chris La Tray
David James Duncan is the author of the cult-classic novels The River Why and The Brothers K, the story collection River Teeth, the nonfiction collection and National Book Award finalist, My Story as Told by Water, and the best-selling God Laughs & Plays. The release of his much-anticipated novel Sun House, which legendary editor Michael Pietsch “will immodestly call David’s magnum opus,” arrived with much critical acclaim, including this comment from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers (The Overstory): “The time, energy, focus, precision, invention, scholarship, fun, joy, love, courage and compassion that went into making this novel boggle my mind. Just contemplating its creation is a spiritual journey in itself. Finding this kind of expansive refreshment at this most narrow-minded moment in history is a gift.”
David’s work has won three Pacific Northwest Booksellers Awards, two Pushcart Prizes, a Lannan Fellowship, the Western States Book Award, inclusion in Best American Sports Writing, Best American Catholic Writing, two volumes of Best American Essays, five volumes of Best American Spiritual Writing, an honorary doctorate from University of Portland, the American Library Association's 2004 Award for the Preservation of Intellectual Freedom (with co-author Wendell Berry), and other honors. David lives on a charming little trout stream in Missoula, Montana, in accord with his late friend Jim Harrison’s advice to finish his life disguised as a creek.