Tevis is not a very famous writer, although a couple of good movies are based upon his novels: The Hustler from 1966 with
Paul Newman, and The Color of Money from 1986 with Newman again, Tom Cruise and John Turturro.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is the seventh
novel written by this teacher from Kentucky. Maybe it's not his absolutely best SF-novel (the real mastepiece is Mockingbird , a sort of new Brave New World ), but it's undoubtly the book which gave him more fame, thanks to a cult movie of the same name brought to us by director Nicholas Roeg, with David Bowie in the main role.
Walter Tevis (1928-1984) wrote The Man Who Fell to Earth at the age of 35. In Italy, the novel was published by Mondadori in their 'Urania'-series.
It's the story of an extraterrestrial visitor in search of new room and a new life for himself and his people, who remained back on planet Althea. The alien assumes on Earth the name Thomas J. Newton and uses his advanced technological knowledge to make money. With help of an attorney (who always looks at him with suspect), "Tommy" becomes the owner of a worldwide electronic company. He has a mission: to build a space ferry so that he can transport the few remaining people of his race to water-abundant Earth. But he soon discovers the darker aspects of being a human, and he has fears that he may be unmasked and his mission compromised. Earth is definitely no
good place for him: it's hard physically and mentally for him to fit in. He becomes ill, and his dream to build a spaceship vanishes when he is taken captive by the American government (CIA? You better don't ask!). Thanks to some "tests" done in a hospital, the gov agents find out that Thomas J. Newton is not a British citizen but an alien. As he is set free, he is half blind and he now knows for sure that it's impossible to him to go back to his planet.
Roeg's film from 1976 features David Bowie as a very convincing alien castaway turned resigned and bored capitalist superstar. The movie earned at first not so enthusiastic critic reception, but it fascinated many younger minds of that time.
Roeg has a particular "language"; the narrative (a mix of sounds and images) is always in fragments, yet still always come together in a fluid whole. More recently, we find the same challenging technic in another splendid "weird" movie, that is Barton Fink by the Coen Bros
.
Tevis' novel is not as experimental as the movie. It is written chronologically and seems like another good, though simple, SF-story. But you must read between the lines. Even if we want it or not, The Man Who Fell to Earth is a paradigm of the alien (= stranger) who lives into each of us.