Later Years

Osamu DazaiChongqing Publishing House · ChinaJun 2026

4.0

Word count: 132K words
Chapters: 17

Summary

This is Dazai Osamu's first collection of fiction, named because the author at one point regarded it as a posthumous work. Its style is somber and elegiac: it includes "Memories," which recalls childhood and boyhood and delicately portrays estrangement from his family, a sensitive and self-deprecating inner life, and the melancholy of growing up; it also contains fantastical stories such as "The Fish's Tale" and "Monkey Island," which use absurd plots to allegorize real-world anguish and the illusion of freedom. The collection also includes "Flowers of the Clown," with the prototype of Oba Yozo, as well as pieces like "The Train" and "Map of the World," depicting partings and the tragedies and spiritual struggles of ordinary people amid the clash of civilizations. Blending fact and fiction, the stories revolve around loneliness, nihilism, human struggle, and bewilderment over life and death, laying bare Dazai's early hesitancy, weariness, and pessimism.

Editor's review

The Late Years is an early collection by Dazai Osamu, bringing together short stories and essays including "Cherry Blossoms and the Magic Flute" and "The Remorseful." The book marks the starting point of Dazai's literary career, and its prose already shows the deep self-scrutiny, doubt about existence, and morbid pursuit of beauty found in his later work. Unlike the utter despair of No Longer Human, the despair in The Late Years feels more raw and struggling, like the murmurs of a sensitive soul groping for a way out in the dark. The book is full of philosophical reflection on life and death and an almost self-destructive romanticism. In literary terms, it is a key text for understanding the evolution of Dazai's thought and style, and readers can glimpse the seeds of many later themes. Reading it is not merely reading a series of stories but entering the fragile and fervent inner world of a gifted writer, feeling that literary flower blooming amid decadence.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Japanese literature, especially the "Burai-ha" school
Literary researchers who want to understand the origins and development of Dazai's thought
Readers who can appreciate and empathize with delicate, gloomy, introspective prose
Young people in a period of confusion who seek resonance and a way out through literature

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking light, pleasant reading or preferring positive themes
Readers uncomfortable with extensive inner monologue, self-doubt, and a gloomy atmosphere

Reading tips

Read this book alongside Dazai's later No Longer Human to sense the shift in his mood and style.
Don't rush; start with one or two of the essays or short stories to get used to his distinctive narrative rhythm.
Pay attention to the book's distinctive treatment of "beauty" and "death," one of the core motifs running through Dazai's work.

About the publisher

Chongqing Publishing House China · Founded in 1950

Chongqing Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its titles in the humanities, social sciences, literature and arts, with about 940 books in its catalogue. Its publishing areas cover world history, science fiction, foreign literature, architecture and philosophy. Representative titles include Xiang Da's A History of Communications Between China and the West, Liang Sicheng's Rules of Qing-Style Construction, Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem II: The Dark Forest and III: Death's End, Ann Rand's The Fountainhead (25th Anniversary Edition), and Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series. Its authors include Xiang Da, Liu Cixin, Liang Sicheng and Ann Rand. The press has developed distinctive strengths in historical source editing, the introduction and creation of science fiction, the translation of foreign literature, and architecture and philosophy titles, balancing scholarly value with general readership. As public information is limited, this profile outlines its publishing directions based only on the books in the catalogue.

版权信息
关于《晚年》
叶
回忆
鱼服记
列车
世界地图
猿岛
雀：致井伏鱒二（津轻方言版）
戏人之花
猿面公子
逆行
他早已不是从前的他
罗曼风格
玩具
阴火
盲纸

FAQ

Is The Late Years a posthumous work by Dazai Osamu?

No. The Late Years is a collection published early in Dazai's career, when he was 24; the title carries a note of self-mockery and prophecy, but it is not a work from the final stage of his life.

How does the style differ from No Longer Human?

The despair in The Late Years is more scattered, struggling, and experimental, a mixture of youthful angst and literary ambition; the despair in No Longer Human is more complete and systematic, a final judgment after years of hardship. The former is a prelude, the latter a finale.

Is "The Remorseful," included in the book, a representative work?

Yes. "The Remorseful" is a highly representative short story in this collection and was shortlisted for the first Akutagawa Prize; its title also hints at the attitude toward life, often at odds with social convention, shared by Dazai and his characters.

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About the author

Osamu Dazai Author · Japan · 1909–1948

Osamu Dazai (1909–1948) was a Japanese novelist born Tsushima Shūji into a wealthy landowning family in Aomori Prefecture. A leading figure of Japan's "Buraiha" or decadent school, he entered the literary world in the 1930s, and his early work The Setting Sun was shortlisted for the first Akutagawa Prize. In the postwar years he produced his most important writing, including The Setting Sun and No Longer Human, works marked by self-mocking confession and a gloomy, sentimental tone that portray outcasts, alienation, and self-destruction. His influence on later Japanese literature is profound. In 1948 he drowned himself with his lover, Yamazaki Tomie, at the age of 38. His fiction centers on self-exile, the disintegration of family, and the spiritual crisis of postwar Japan, and his decadent yet sincere style has earned him a wide readership in the Chinese-speaking world as well.