Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land
Hardcover, showing Rodin's sculpture
Fallen Caryatid Carrying her Stone
AuthorRobert A. Heinlein
LanguageEnglish
GenreScience fiction
PublisherG. P. Putnam's Sons
Publication date
June 1[citation needed], 1961
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages408 (208,018 words)
ISBN978-0-441-79034-0

Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by the American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians, and explores his interaction with and eventual transformation of Terran culture.

The title "Stranger in a Strange Land" is a direct quotation from the King James Bible (taken from Exodus 2:22).[1] The working title for the book was "A Martian Named Smith", which was also the name of the screenplay started by a character at the end of the novel.[2]

Heinlein's widow Virginia arranged to have the original unedited manuscript published in 1991, three years after Heinlein's death. Critics disagree about which version is superior.[3]

Stranger in a Strange Land won the 1962 Hugo Award for Best Novel and became the first science fiction novel to enter The New York Times Book Review's best-seller list. In 2012, the Library of Congress named it one of 88 "Books that Shaped America".[4]

  1. ^ Gale, Cengage Learning (March 13, 2015). A Study Guide for Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Gale, Cengage Learning. pp. 7–. ISBN 978-1-4103-2078-0. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Patterson, William; Thornton, Andrew (2001). The Martian Named Smith: Critical Perspectives On Robert A. Heinlein's 'Stranger In A Strange Land'. Nytrosyncretic Press. p. 224. ISBN 978-0-9679874-2-2. Archived from the original on August 20, 2010.
  3. ^ Woo, Elaine (January 26, 2003). "Virginia Heinlein, 86; Wife, Muse and Literary Guardian of Celebrated Science Fiction Writer". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "Books that Shaped America". Library of Congress. 2012. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.

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