No Longer Human

Name: No Longer Human
ISBN: 9787229064433

Osamu DazaiChongqing Publishing House · ChinaDec 2016

4.4

Word count: 48K words
Chapters: 6
ISBN: 9787229064433

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Summary

No Longer Human means the loss of the qualification to be human. The novel consists of five parts: a preface, the first notebook, the second notebook, the third notebook, and a postscript. The preface and postscript are narrated in the author's voice, while the three notebooks are narrated in the voice of the protagonist, Yozo. From childhood, Yozo lacks the most basic desire a human being should have—the desire to eat; for him, eating is a torment. Sickly and frail from a young age, his greatest need becomes the alleviation of illness and mental suffering. His young, sensitive heart is wounded by 'human beings' who deceive and commit crimes against one another. Among 'human beings,' he seeks their love by playing the 'clown,' while also masking his own incompetence and psychological insecurity and fear. His sense of his own incompetence and 'crime,' and his fear of and disappointment in 'human beings,' make him ashamed to be a person, and he believes he does not deserve to live as one. Gradually, Yozo loses the 'qualification' to be human and becomes a completely marginalized person. His misfortune is 'the misfortune of a person incapable of refusing.' In the latter half of the novel, Yozo is deemed mentally deranged and sent to a mental asylum, and he brands himself: 'No Longer Human.'

Editor's review

"No Longer Human" is the pinnacle work of Osamu Dazai, master of Japanese Buraiha literature, often regarded as his semi-autobiographical final work. Composed of the protagonist Oba Yozo's three notebooks and the author's "postscript," it depicts, in delicate and despairing prose, the portrait of a "marginal man" who cannot understand the rules of the world, spends his life playing the "clown" to please others, and ultimately heads toward self-destruction. Its writing combines decadent beauty with profound honesty, portraying individual alienation, the desire for and fear of love, and the guilt and failure of "being born human" to the fullest. As an editor, I believe the book's value goes far beyond a sad story. It is a sharp mirror forcing readers to confront the universal fragility, pretense, and loneliness of human nature. The theme of "losing the qualification to be human" is in fact an extreme interrogation of modern social alienation and hypocritical interpersonal relationships. Reading it requires courage and some psychological preparation. Its literary value lies in the extreme "I-novel" narrative and a self-analysis so candid as to be almost cruel—a style that profoundly influenced later Japanese literature. This Chongqing Publishing House edition has fluent translation and relatively fully preserves the original's gloomy temperament, making it an important window for Chinese readers to understand Dazai.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Japanese literature, especially postwar Buraiha literature
Thinkers who wish to deeply explore the dark side of human nature and existential issues
Lonely souls who feel out of place in the world during growth or life and seek resonance
Literary researchers or writers who can learn extreme inner monologue and narrative technique

Not a good fit for

Readers currently in deep depression or emotional lows who need positive psychological affirmation
Casual readers seeking light, pleasant stories with dramatic ups and downs

Reading tips

Begin reading in a relatively calm state of mind, prepared for a heavy emotional experience.
Read in conjunction with Dazai's biography and other works (such as "The Setting Sun") for a fuller understanding of his intellectual trajectory.
After reading, consider: is Yozo's "disqualification" an individual tragedy, or the result of social complicity?

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
前言
手记一
手记二
手记三
后记

FAQ

Is this book too negative and pessimistic?

On the surface it is indeed full of despair, but its core is an extreme honesty. By exposing the most shameful self, the author completes a rebellion against a hypocritical world and an inquiry into true human nature. Negativity is the surface; the core is a persistent search for "life."

Why does "No Longer Human" have such enduring appeal?

Because it touches on the "identity anxiety" and "existential unease" common to modern people. In a society that emphasizes sociability and success, Yozo's sense of being an "outsider" and his unattainable search for the true self easily resonate across eras and borders.

What are the characteristics of this edition?

This Chongqing Publishing House edition is one of the more classic Chinese translations, with a style close to the original's concision and gloom, and often includes an introduction or commentary to help readers understand the work's background and literary value.

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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.