truth is stranger than fiction
Proverb derived from the English saying; used when real events seem more unbelievable than made-up stories.
彼の人生はまさに事実は小説より奇なりだ。
His life is truly a case of truth being stranger than fiction.
Standard kanji form of the proverb.
Variant using the older kanji 也 for なり; less common.
Calque of the English proverb 'truth is stranger than fiction', attributed to Lord Byron. The Japanese version uses classical grammar (なり for assertion).