Stranger in a Strange Land

Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised by Martians on Mars, as he returns to Earth in early adulthood; the novel explores his interaction with -- and eventual transformation of -- Earth culture. The title of the book is pointedly a quotation of another founder, Moses {{ref|moses}}.

Related Topics:
1961 - Science fiction - Novel - Robert A. Heinlein - Martian - Mars - Moses

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The book was a breakthrough best-seller, attracting many readers who would not ordinarily have read a work of science fiction. Late-1960s counterculture was influenced by its themes of sexual freedom and liberation.{{ref|manson}}

Related Topics:
1960s - Counterculture

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Much of the novel is didactic, consisting of long speeches by the character Jubal Harshaw, a fiction writer who acts as Heinlein's mouthpiece and alter ego, presenting many points of view that typify Heinlein's opinions as expressed in his works in general. This is less of a dramatic flaw than in other novels containing Heinlein mouthpieces (e.g., The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and Time Enough for Love), since Harshaw's hardheaded Mark Twain-style realism is effectively contrasted against Smith's mystical and alien point of view, and Harshaw is often proved wrong. Smith eventually enshrines Harshaw as the patron saint of the church he founds (much to Harshaw's initial chagrin.)

Related Topics:
Mark Twain - Patron saint

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Heinlein first wrote Stranger, his editors required him to cut it from its original 220,000-word length, and to remove a sex scene. The final result was near 160,000 words, and this version, published in 1961, received a Hugo Award. After Heinlein's death in 1988, his wife Virginia found a market for the original edition, which was published in 1991. As with Podkayne of Mars, critics disagree whether Heinlein's preferred version, published later, is in fact better than the one originally published.

Related Topics:
Hugo Award - 1988 - 1991 - Podkayne of Mars

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~