Peter David - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Peter David’s paternal grandparents, Martin and Hela David, and Peter's father, Gunter, came to the United States in the 1930s after the antisemitism in Nazi Germany progressed to the point that Martin's Berlin shoestore became the target of vandalism. David was born September 23, 1956 in Fort Meade, Maryland to Gunter and Dalia, an Israeli-born Jewish mother, to whom David credits for his sense of humor. He has two siblings, a younger brother named Wally, who works as a still life photographer and musician, and a younger sister named Beth.

David first became interested in comics when he was about five years old, reading copies of Harvey Comics' Casper and Wendy in a barbershop. He became interested in superheroes through the Adventures of Superman TV series. His favorite title was Superman, and he cites John Buscema as his favorite pre-1970's artist.

David's earliest interest in writing came through the journalism work of his father, Gunter, who would sometimes review movies, and take young Peter along if it was age-appropriate. While Gunter would write his reviews back at the newspaper’s office, Peter would write his own, portions of which would sometimes find their way into Gunter's published reviews. David began to entertain the notion of becoming a professional writer at age twelve, buying a copy of The Guide to the Writer’s Market, and subscribing to similar-themed magazines, in the hopes of becoming a reporter.

David lived initially in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where he attended Demarest Elementary School, but later moved to Verona, New Jersey, where he spent his adolescence. By the time he entered his teens, he had lost interest in comic books, feeling he had outgrown them. David's best friend in junior high and freshman year in high school, Keith, was gay, and David has described how both of them were targets of ostracism and harassment from homophobes. Although his family eventually moved to Pennsylvania, his experiences in Verona soured him on that town, and would shape his liberal sociopolitical positions regarding LGBT issues. He would later make Verona the home location of villain Morgan le Fay in his novel Knight Life, and has often discussed his progressive views on LGBT issues in his column and on his blog.

David's interest in comics was rekindled when he saw X-Men #95 on newsstands, and discovered the "All-New, All-Different" team that had first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (October 1975), which he subsequently purchased at a comic convention, his first in years.

A seminal moment in the course of his aspirations occurred when he met writer Stephen King at a book signing, and told him that he was an aspiring writer. King signed David's copy of Danse Macabre with the inscription, "Good luck with your writing career.", which David now inscribes himself onto books presented to him by fans who tell him the same thing. Other authors that David cites as influences include Harlan Ellison, Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert B. Parker, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Robert Crais and Edgar Rice Burroughs. Specific books he has mentioned as favorites include To Kill a Mockingbird, Tarzan of the Apes, The Princess Bride, The Essential Ellison, A Confederacy of Dunces, Adams Versus Jefferson, and Don Quixote. David has singled out Ellison in particular as a writer whom he has tried to emulate.

David attended New York University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism. His first professional assignment was covering the World Science Fiction Convention held in Washington in 1974 for the Philadelphia Bulletin.

David eventually gravitated towards fiction after his attempts at journalism did not meet with success. His first published fiction was in Asimov's Science Fiction. He also sold an Op-ed piece to The New York Times, however, his submissions overall were met with rejection that far outnumbered those accepted.