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Stranger In A Strange LandStranger in a Strange Land is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, which was first published in 1961. 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 book was a breakthrough best-seller, attracting many readers who would not ordinarily have chosen science fiction. It also became quite popular among the late-1960s counterculture -- some aspects of hippie philosophy were influenced by this book, most notably Smith's advocacy of sexual freedom and liberation. It has long been rumored that the book was a favourite of Charles Manson, who used some ideas from the book in his own commune. (However, as indicated in the posthumously-published Grumbles from the Grave, Heinlein asked his attorney to investigate this rumor when it first surfaced, and his attorney was unable to verify it; indeed it appeared that Manson himself was barely literate.) When Heinlein first wrote Stranger, his editors considered it far too lengthy, and required him to cut it from about 220,000 words to a target of 150,000 before it could be published. Also cut was a sex scene considered too controversial for the day. The final result was near 160,000 words. This 1961 publication received a Hugo Award, and stood for almost thirty years. After Heinlein's death in 1988, his wife Virginia found a market for the "uncut" edition, which was published in 1991. Critics disagree as to which edition is preferable. A Novel of Consequence Like many influential works of literature, Stranger made a contribution to the language: specifically, the word "grok." In Heinlein's invented Martian language, "grok" literally means "to drink" and figuratively means "to understand," "to love," or "to be one with." This word rapidly became common parlance among SF fans, hippies, and computer hackers, and has since entered the Oxford English Dictionary among others. A central element of the latter half of the novel is the religious movement the Martian-born Smith founds, the "Church of All Worlds." This church is an initiatory mystery religion blending elements of paganism and revivalism with psychic training and the teaching of the uniquely magical Martian language. In 1968, a group of neopagans inspired by Stranger took it upon themselves to found a religious group with this name, modeled in many ways after the fictional organization. Their Church of All Worlds remains an active part of the neopagan community today. On a lighter note, Stranger is also often cited as containing the first description of the waterbed, an invention which made its real-world debut a few years later in 1968. Charles Hall, who brought a waterbed design to the United States Patent Office, was refused a patent on the grounds that Heinlein's descriptions in Stranger and another novel, Double Star, constituted prior art. http://ebbs.english.vt.edu/20th/txts/heinlein/heinlein.lore.html Interpretations Many readers believe Heinlein wrote a number of puzzles into the work. One, regarding the naming of the characters, is described in the introduction to the uncut edition. A number of readers have seen deeper mysteries in it, particularly since it is such an uncharacteristic work for its author. (Though nontraditional sexual relationships (such as group marriage) and a certain ethical anarchist attitude pervade many of Heinlein's works, scant few could be regarded as mystical.) http://www.wegrokit.com/thelema.htm The book's representation of open relationships has been a strong influence on the polyamory movement. Stranger was written, in part, as a deliberate attempt to challenge social mores. In the course of the story, Heinlein uses Smith's open-mindedness to reevaluate the institutions of money and monogamy, the fear of death, and the taboo against cannibalism. Modern readers find irony in the fact that some taboos escaped this reevaluation - in particular, that against homosexuality, which Stranger dismisses as 'wrong'. Many critics suggest that it is not Valentine Michael Smith who is the true main character of the novel, but rather Jubal Harshaw. Jubal is central to the tale in that he often has "center stage", expounding much of his personal philosophy to Smith as he contends with the new society he finds himself in. Smith eventually enshrines him as the patron saint of the church he founds (much to Harshaw's initial chagrin.) Critics have also suggested that Jubal is actually a stand-in for Robert Heinlein himself. 'But anyone who takes in a Strange Land as answers is fooling himself. It is an invitation to think—not to believe.'
—Heinlein, Grumbles from the Grave. Editions - Penguin Putnam, paperback, ISBN 0425022021
- June 1, 1961, Putnam Publishing Group, hardcover, ISBN 039910772X
- 1972, Capricorn Books, 408 pages, ISBN 0399502688
- October 1975, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425030679
- November 1977, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425037827
- July 1979, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425043770
- September 1980, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425046885
- July 1982, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425058336
- July 1983, Penguin Putnam, paperback, ISBN 0425064905
- January 1984, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425071421
- May 1, 1984, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425052168
- December 1984, Berkley Publishing Group, ISBN 0425080943
- November 1986, Berkley Publishing Group, paperback, ISBN 0425101479
- October 1, 1991, uncut edition, Ace Books, paperback, 528 pages, ISBN 0441788386
- August 1, 1995, ACE Charter, paperback, 438 pages, ISBN 0441790348
- April 1, 1996, Blackstone Audiobooks, cassette audiobook, ISBN 0786109521
- October 1, 1999, Sagebrush, library binding, ISBN 0808520873
- June 1, 2002, Blackstone Audiobooks, cassette audiobook, ISBN 0786122293
- January 2003, Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media, hardcover, ISBN 060625126X
- November 1, 2003, Blackstone Audiobooks, CD audiobook, ISBN 0786188480
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