Donald Keene

Osamu Dazai

No Longer Human ... Translated ... by Donald Keene

人間失格

Siri

Bea Sustaita

I wonder if I have actually been happy. People have told me, really more times than I can remember, ever since I was a small boy, how lucky I was, but I have always felt as if I were suffering in hell. It has seemed to me in fact that those who called me lucky were incomparably more fortunate than I. I have sometimes thought that I have been burdened with a pack of ten misfortunes, any one of which if borne by my neighbor would be enough to make a murderer of him.

Eat or die, the saying goes, but to my ears it sounded like just one more unpleasant threat. 

Brittany

I was obsessed with the idea that since I lacked the strength to act in accordance with this truth, I might already have been disqualified from living among human beings. 

Is immaculate trustfulness after all a source of sin?

Kyara Rasking

Anna

Lotus

vanillscented

“Human beings work to earn their bread, for if they don't eat, they die" 

I have never had the least trust in the opinions of human beings, and my stories represented to me nothing more than the clown’s gesture of greeting to his audience; they enraptured all of my teachers but for me they were devoid of the slightest interest.

when anger makes them reveal in a flash human nature in all its horror. 

Mine has been a life of much shame. I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.

Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. His attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a “clown” to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is an important and unforgettable modern classic: “The struggle of the individual to fit into a normalizing society remains just as relevant today as it was at the time of writing.” (The Japan Times)

Fiction

No Longer Human

Demir Razzaqov

One of the most devastating stories I have ever read.

Перевод: Mary FoxNo Longer Human (1948, Ningen Shikkaku / A Shameful Life/ Confessions of a Faulty Man) was an attack on the traditions of Japan, capturing the postwar crisis of Japanese cultural identity. Framed by an epilogue and prologue, the story is told in the form three notebooks left by Ōba Yōzō, whose calm exterior hides his tormented soul. Osamu DAZAI was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayō (The Setting Sun) and Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), are considered modern-day classics in Japan. Japanese novelist and a master storyteller, who became at the end of World War II the literary voice and literary hero of his generation. Dazai's life ended in double-suicide with his married mistress. In many books Dazai used biographical material from his own family background, and made his self-destructive life the subject of his books.

marika

word vomit: i put this off for a long amount of time since reviews of it always said it destroyed them, and i wanted to read it when i am at my lowest so it could penetrate me more deeply. that raw gut-wrenching feeling of experiencing these kinds of media at a time where i am deep within a depressive state myself, is something i keep longing for—a certain euphoric misery that satisfied a sick urge of vicariously killing myself through the piece. so when i was finally ready, i carried with me the notion that it will move me just as much as it did others. it did not.<br />in the story, we're inside the head of a boy named yozo. most of yozo's own views of himself, humans, and how he exists with the rest of them were overly familiar. these expressions of shame and detachment he divulges were the exact same things that encompassed my own humanity (or lack of it), yet i wonder why it just did not make me feel anything at all. i wanted the misery. that was what i started the book for. i know my approach on reading this was a desperate grasp on my end for something to touch me or completely injure me as i am incapable of doing so myself. and ultimately this is not an objective review on the book nor an efficient art criticism of it. but i think what bothers me is that my headspace is eerily similar to yozo and still i hold a disconnect towards him and the book, that i wish i could understand. i then came to realize that this this disconnect burrows down to him becoming a man. i say "becoming" since the story goes through stages of his life where it starts with him as a boy until it ends with him as a 27 year old man. the intersectionality of power dynamics as things progress while he grows older is something to consider, given the abuse he experienced when he was a child, to the sexual assault of his wife as he watched. the book successfully takes us to how women were (and still are) viewed by men through multiple descriptions and events that occur. anyhow, i know this story was made in the 30s and in japan no less. of course yozo's perceptions on women will reflect the perceptions of that time period. which partly amuses me since that is somehow the blatant thing that groups him with the rest of the humans. the book says society is the individual after all. this is something that naturally leaves me curious on the women at that time, who were, in a sense, outcasted by the outcast himself and by the monsters that the outcast separates himself from. overall, the entire thing was cold and dull, and as the reader, it felt empty. perhaps that emptiness was the intention but i cannot bring myself to care more than i do.<br />

Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human, this leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Donald Keene, who translated this and Dazai's first novel, The Setting Sun, has said of the author's work: "His world … suggests Chekhov or possibly postwar France, … but there is a Japanese sensibility in the choice and presentation of the material. A Dazai novel is at once immediately intelligible in Western terms and quite unlike any Western book." His writing is in some ways reminiscent of Rimbaud, while he himself has often been called a forerunner of Yukio Mishima.

i finished no longer human a lot faster than i expected, even though i kept pausing while reading it because of how emotionally heavy it was. the book follows oba yozo, a man who struggles deeply with alienation, depression, and his inability to truly connect with others, all while maintaining a mask of humor and normalcy. the rawness of his descent—from childhood confusion to substance abuse, failed relationships, and repeated suicide attempts—was overwhelming at times. some passages hit me hard, especially knowing that much of it reflected osamu dazai’s real-life experiences. it made me reflect on how painfully difficult it is to understand human nature, especially when someone is trying so hard to be understood but feels utterly invisible. it’s not just fiction—it felt like a desperate confession. reading it reminded me that behind every smile could be a person silently unraveling.

Mine has been a life of much shame.
I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.
Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness.
Semi-autobiographical, No Longer Human is the final completed work of one of Japan's most important writers, Osamu Dazai (1909-1948). The novel has come to "echo the sentiments of youth" (Hiroshi Ando, The Mainichi Daily News) from post-war Japan to the postmodern society of technology. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is a powerful exploration of an individual's alienation from society.

once yozo started to think that he's not like others, it was ultimately over. 

he was so focused on himself, him being different, somehow better than others because he was so self aware that he failed to realise that if he tried to understand, if he had a drop of compassion, he would find out he's not alone. 

his self centredness made him feel unique and he loved that feeling. he did not wish to be saved because (apart from thinking he can't be saved because he isn't like others to begin with) saving him would ultimately make him less interesting (at least in his own eyes). when people saw through him he became petrified and shut himself off even more. 

him becoming an alcoholic and an addict validated his idea of himself as a maimed romantic hero. he kept repeating his self loathing prayers until they became reality. 

and when people saw him as a genuinely good person he just thought they didn't know him. maybe he did not know himself. he was an unreliable narrator of his own life.

this review is not supposed to hate on the book. I really enjoyed it, saw glimpses of myself (mostly in yozo's childhood) and of others in the characters and I think dazai made a really good job portraying depressed character that never really wanted to feel like others because feeling miserable is the only thing he knows.

Anna 

self awareness is a curse in disguise

.

once yozo started to think that he's not like others, it was ultimately over. 

he was so focused on himself, him being different, somehow better than others because he was so self aware that he failed to realise that if he tried to understand, if he had a drop of compassion, he would find out he's not alone. 

his self centredness made him feel unique and he loved that feeling. he did not wish to be saved because (apart from thinking he can't be saved because he isn't like others to begin with) saving him would ultimately make him less interesting (at least in his own eyes). when people saw through him he became petrified and shut himself off even more. 

him becoming an alcoholic and an addict validated his idea of himself as a maimed romantic hero. he kept repeating his self loathing prayers until they became reality. 

and when people saw him as a genuinely good person he just thought they didn't know him. maybe he did not know himself. he was an unreliable narrator of his own life.

.

this review is not supposed to hate on the book. I really enjoyed it, saw glimpses of myself (mostly in yozo's childhood) and of others in the characters and I think dazai made a really good job portraying depressed character that never really wanted to feel like others because feeling miserable is the only thing he knows.

Traumatizing. I don't even know how to word it.

honestly idk about this one? would I recommend it? probably not? do i think it’s overrated and was a little disappointed (because of how hyped up it was)? yes. but there were moments when i was quite into it and had me a little shook. did get me thinking and contemplating some things which was fun. overall i think the hype around it is what let me down the most otherwise mehhh ~

(MY SWEET SWEET YOSHIKO… JUST WANTED TO SAVE HER!! POOR GIRL ☹️)

honestly idk about this one? would I recommend it? probably not? do i think it’s overrated and was a little disappointed (because of how hyped up it was)? yes. but there were moments when i was quite into it and had me a little shook. did get me thinking and contemplating some things which was fun. overall i think the hype around it is what let me down the most otherwise mehhh ~

(MY SWEET SWEET YOSHIKO… JUST WANTED TO SAVE HER!! POOR GIRL ☹️)

Reading Yozo regress into the abyss of depression and isolation is... surreal. It's not emotional even though I relate with him, it feels more like a dark comedy. It's like looking into a mirror, but instead of crying, you just laugh at your own pathetic reflection.

catto fishu

"Unhappy people are sensitive to the unhappiness of others."  

Despite the misogyny, as has been mentioned x amount of times now. .

(relating to its publication back in the 1940's)

• Dazai has tapped into something fundamentally human here. In an age of social media where we're constantly curating our public personas, the idea of wearing a mask to fit in feels more relevant than ever. 

• This novel speaks to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider or struggled to understand the unwritten rules of society. It stands out for its unflinching look at individual alienation in a society emphasizing conformity.

• I think the key message is that our struggles with identity/belonging, + authenticity, are universal human experiences; 

Dazai reminds us that even in our darkest, most isolated moments, we're not alone in feeling this way. It's worth a read if you haven't, as ultimately, it's a profound affirmation of our shared humanity.

I didn't realize until after, that the character Dazai from the anime 

 was loosely based off the author, as other characters, likewise, were referenced literary works.

(One of his earlier novels even has a scene straight out of the anime).

Just some food for thought, done rambling. . ! 😬

Erica England 

"Unhappy people are sensitive to the unhappiness of others."  ---

Despite the misogyny, as has been mentioned x amount of times now. .

(relating to its publication back in the 1940's)

• Dazai has tapped into something fundamentally human here. In an age of social media where we're constantly curating our public personas, the idea of wearing a mask to fit in feels more relevant than ever. 

• This novel speaks to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider or struggled to understand the unwritten rules of society. It stands out for its unflinching look at individual alienation in a society emphasizing conformity.

• I think the key message is that our struggles with identity/belonging, + authenticity, are universal human experiences; 

Dazai reminds us that even in our darkest, most isolated moments, we're not alone in feeling this way. It's worth a read if you haven't, as ultimately, it's a profound affirmation of our shared humanity.

(Side note):

I didn't realize until after, that the character Dazai from the anime Bungo Stray Dogs was loosely based off the author, as other characters, likewise, were referenced literary works.

(One of his earlier novels even has a scene straight out of the anime).

Just some food for thought, done rambling. . ! 😬

sasha 

no es normal que tantas pocas páginas duelan tanto

rebi🦇

太宰治

“Mine has been a life of much shame.
I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being.”

Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness.
Semi-autobiographical, No Longer Human is the final completed work of one of Japan's most important writers, Osamu Dazai (1909-1948). The novel has come to "echo the sentiments of youth" (Hiroshi Ando, The Mainichi Daily News) from post-war Japan to the postmodern society of technology. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is a powerful exploration of an individual's alienation from society.

Celine

no longer human is a haunting exploration of alienation, despair, and the human condition. the book’s tone is intensely introspective and melancholic, offering a raw and unflinching look at the fragility of identity and the search for meaning in a world that feels hostile and indifferent. dazai’s prose is stark and poetic, capturing the psychological turmoil of a man who feels utterly "disqualified as a human being."

I was kind of bored through the first half but it turns out Its one of the Best books i've ever read. Of course the mysoginy really annoyed me except from that He was really relatable and I feel Seen for the first time

Gwenifer

Maureen

“Just when I was beginning to forget, that bird of ill-omen came flapping my way, to rip open with its beak the wounds of memory”

***

The title had always fascinated me, and I was curious to find the reason behind it. Overall, the interior monologue is done really well, because everything flows smoothly. We witness the gradual decline of Yozo's physical and mental state—he's in a dark place, and I don't think I have the right to comment against his struggles. I will say though, that in the end, Dazai makes it absolutely clear why Yozo believes he is disqualified as a human being.

Now I understand why this book is so popular.

quizá no era para mí o no le entendí a la narración, pero tarde muchísimo en terminarlo y disfrute nada

andrea valentina 

Klaudette

do NOT read this if you’re in recovery vro

Cate

Andrea Morales

adriftzoey

Vince Hilahan

Cori

This book literally made me wanna k*ll myself

Charlize

yozo’s psyche is fascinating to say the least. was he a victim of circumstance? i believe so. but does that absolve him from the awful things he had done? not at all. the theme of alienation is well-captured that it leaves you contemplating.

sani

“Mine has been a life of much shame. I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being”

i hate to say this but this book absolutely did not do it for me! i love Osamu Dazai’s writings but this one was just too tedious? i swear i could have dozed off reading it. and this is coming from someone who utterly utterly loves his other work. 

i agree that No Longer Human is completely my kind of book. but it didn't just reach my expectations. the misogyny was too much for me to handle as well. i unequivocally loathed the way the narrator talked about women. 

the prologue and the first and the second notebook built up a really hooked story idea but it went really downhill by the third notebook. i like depressed men but i despise depressed misogynistic men to the hilt. 

considering how this was his last work before suicide, i should be a little nicer and that's why i am giving it two stars.

yuck…but also relatable…but also yuck.

No Longer Human ... Translated ... by Donald Keene

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