diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 2711ef84..7bcd6344 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -2720,6 +2720,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "flat-rs",
  "hex",
  "indexmap",
+ "indoc",
  "itertools",
  "k256",
  "miette",
diff --git a/crates/uplc/Cargo.toml b/crates/uplc/Cargo.toml
index 87e367e1..e729ac64 100644
--- a/crates/uplc/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/uplc/Cargo.toml
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ thiserror = "1.0.39"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 hex = "0.4.3"
+indoc = "2.0.1"
 proptest = "1.1.0"
 
 [features]
diff --git a/crates/uplc/src/flat.rs b/crates/uplc/src/flat.rs
index 65a74716..c4cf9eeb 100644
--- a/crates/uplc/src/flat.rs
+++ b/crates/uplc/src/flat.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
-use std::{collections::VecDeque, fmt::Debug, rc::Rc};
-
+use crate::{
+    ast::{
+        Constant, DeBruijn, FakeNamedDeBruijn, Name, NamedDeBruijn, Program, Term, Type, Unique,
+    },
+    builtins::DefaultFunction,
+};
 use anyhow::anyhow;
 use flat_rs::{
     de::{self, Decode, Decoder},
@@ -7,13 +11,7 @@ use flat_rs::{
     Flat,
 };
 use pallas_primitives::{babbage::PlutusData, Fragment};
-
-use crate::{
-    ast::{
-        Constant, DeBruijn, FakeNamedDeBruijn, Name, NamedDeBruijn, Program, Term, Type, Unique,
-    },
-    builtins::DefaultFunction,
-};
+use std::{collections::VecDeque, fmt::Debug, rc::Rc};
 
 const BUILTIN_TAG_WIDTH: u32 = 7;
 const CONST_TAG_WIDTH: u32 = 4;
@@ -810,11 +808,13 @@ pub fn decode_constant_tag(d: &mut Decoder) -> Result<u8, de::Error> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
-    use flat_rs::Flat;
-
-    use crate::ast::{Name, Type};
-
     use super::{Constant, Program, Term};
+    use crate::{
+        ast::{DeBruijn, Name, Type},
+        parser,
+    };
+    use flat_rs::Flat;
+    use indoc::indoc;
 
     #[test]
     fn flat_encode_integer() {
@@ -961,4 +961,34 @@ mod test {
 
         assert_eq!(actual_program, expected_program)
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unflat_string_escape() {
+        let cbor = "490000004901015c0001";
+
+        let program =
+            Program::<DeBruijn>::from_hex(cbor, &mut Vec::new(), &mut Vec::new()).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(
+            program.to_pretty().as_str(),
+            indoc! { r#"
+              (program
+                0.0.0
+                (con string "\\")
+              )"#}
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn uplc_parser_string_escape() {
+        let source = indoc! { r#"
+            (program
+              0.0.0
+              (con string "\n\t\\\"\'\r")
+            )"#};
+
+        let program = parser::program(source).unwrap();
+
+        assert_eq!(program.to_pretty(), source);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/uplc/src/parser.rs b/crates/uplc/src/parser.rs
index e14c8b73..a0ecfde0 100644
--- a/crates/uplc/src/parser.rs
+++ b/crates/uplc/src/parser.rs
@@ -168,7 +168,17 @@ peg::parser! {
           = "#" i:ident()* { hex::decode(String::from_iter(i)).unwrap() }
 
         rule string() -> String
-          = "\"" s:[^ '"']* "\"" { String::from_iter(s) }
+          = "\"" s:character()* "\"" { String::from_iter(s) }
+
+        rule character() -> char
+          = "\\n"  { '\n' } // newline (line feed)
+          / "\\r"  { '\r' } // carriage return
+          / "\\t"  { '\t' } // horizontal tab
+          / "\\\"" { '\"' } // double quote
+          / "\\'"  { '\'' } // single quote
+          / "\\\\" { '\\' } // backslash
+          / [ ^ '"' ]
+          / expected!("or any valid ascii character")
 
         rule data() -> PlutusData
           = "#" i:ident()* {
diff --git a/crates/uplc/src/pretty.rs b/crates/uplc/src/pretty.rs
index 6403dd03..227031a6 100644
--- a/crates/uplc/src/pretty.rs
+++ b/crates/uplc/src/pretty.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-use pretty::RcDoc;
-
 use crate::{
     ast::{Constant, Program, Term, Type},
     flat::Binder,
     plutus_data_to_bytes,
 };
+use pretty::RcDoc;
+use std::ascii::escape_default;
 
 impl<'a, T> Program<T>
 where
@@ -185,7 +185,15 @@ impl Constant {
             Constant::String(s) => RcDoc::text("string")
                 .append(RcDoc::line())
                 .append(RcDoc::text("\""))
-                .append(RcDoc::text(s))
+                .append(RcDoc::text(
+                    String::from_utf8(
+                        s.as_bytes()
+                            .iter()
+                            .flat_map(|c| escape_default(*c).collect::<Vec<u8>>())
+                            .collect(),
+                    )
+                    .unwrap(),
+                ))
                 .append(RcDoc::text("\"")),
             Constant::Unit => RcDoc::text("unit")
                 .append(RcDoc::line())