''Strangers'' (Japanese title ''Ijintachi to no natsu'' 異人たちとの夏 ''Summer of the Strange People'') is a novel by

Taichi Yamada is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. His real name is . Career Born in Asakusa, Tokyo, Yamada attended Waseda University before entering the Shōchiku film studios, where he trained as an assistant director under Keisuke Kinoshita. He left t ...

, published in 1987. The English translation by Wayne Lammers was published in 2003. The Japanese original won the 1987

Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize The is a Japanese literary award established in 1988 in memory of author Shūgorō Yamamoto. It was created and continues to be sponsored by the Shinchosha Publishing company, which published Yamamoto's ''Complete Works''. The prize is awarded ann ...

for best human-interest novel. The English translation was one of sixteen works long-listed for the 2006 Foreign Fiction prize awarded by The Independent. ''Ijintachi to no natsu'' has also been translated into German as ''Sommer mit Fremden'', French as ''Présences d'un été'' and Swedish as ''Främlingar'' (2009). A film based on the novel, ''

The Discarnates is a 1988 Japanese horror film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Cast * Morio Kazama as ''Hidemi Harada'' * Tsurutarô Kataoka as ''Hidekichi Harada'' (Father) * Kumiko Akiyoshi as ''Fusako Harada'' (Mother) * Yûko Natori as ''Kei Fujino'' * Tos ...

'', directed by Obayashi Nobuhiko, was released in 1988. The 2023 English-language film ''

All of Us Strangers ''All of Us Strangers'' is a 2023 British romantic fantasy film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, and loosely based on the 1987 novel ''Strangers'' by Taichi Yamada. The film stars Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, and Claire Foy. It ...

'', directed by

Andrew Haigh Andrew Haigh (; born 7 March 1973) is a British filmmaker. Early life Haigh was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. He read History at Newcastle University. Career Haigh worked as an assistant editor on films such as ''Gladiator (200 ...

, is also based on the novel.

Plot

The narrator Hideo Harada, a 47-year-old TV scriptwriter, meets a couple who bear an eerie resemblance to his dead parents, and forms a friendship with them, visiting them often. As his health declines, he comes to realise that they are ghosts who are sapping his life-force.

External links

Strangers - Yamada Taichi

Ijin-tachi to no natsu
IMDb entry for the 1988 Japanese film version

Review: Strangers by Taichi Yamada

Novels by Taichi Yamada 1987 Japanese novels Japanese novels adapted into films {{Japan-lit-stub