No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai

Osamu dazai’s immortal–and supposedly autobiographical–work of Japanese literature, ‘No Longer Human’, is a 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.

Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist Oba Yozo in this novel, 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.