No Longer Human

Books | Fiction / World Literature / Asia (General)

4.3

(9.3K)

Osamu Dazai

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. 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)

Buy now:

More Details:

Author

Osamu Dazai

Pages

176

Publisher

New Directions Publishing

Published Date

1973-01-17

ISBN

0811220079 9780811220071

Ratings

Google: 4

Community ReviewsSee all

"I liked it a concerning amount and I also related to it a concerning amount and I would really like to read more books like this."

RanchyFinch

"When I first started reading this, I did not like our protagonist. I think I even started to hate-read it. But once the main character ages up, it goes from not liking him to simply understanding him. You really begin to feel for the guy. And while I’ve never been in depths as dark as him, the writing really makes it easy to empathize. By the end, I really enjoyed reading this. Seeing where our character lands. This is definitely a book I’d recommend only if you’re in a good headspace. "

Joslyn

"I loved this book!! I saw it was getting popular and decided to get it and it didn’t disappoint. Everything about this drew me in."

Sarah Holloway

"This book left me with a couple tears in the end. It covers a lot of heavy subjects (Suicide, Depression etc.) that aren’t talked about much in Japan. It centers around how a man feels so alienated from society, to the point he feels “No Longer Human”. What I found interesting was that the author finished this book right before taking his own life. Many say that this is a biography and a confessional novel of how he lived his life. Changes ur perspective greatly🥹"

Nhaya Henley

"Wtf did i just read"

Adeline

"I LOVE No Longer Human. The first time I read this book it inspired me to want to write. I found it very interesting to see how Dazai Osamu thinks, and I really want to read more by him. As someone studying psychology, this book gives you a good idea of what depression is like, and mental illness. When I finished reading this book I felt so numb, but I also felt many other emotions. No Longer Human had a huge impact on me. I sat staring at a wall thinking “how many other people could be like this?”, and “Why do I kind of relate to the main character?”. Take everything I say lightly because I’ve seen people who say it wasn’t as good as they were expecting!"

Kaiko

"interesting… but also confusing and wordy and boring with no plot or hook. probably depends on the person. it’s more of a book on a man’s perspective of the world"

marcey

"It's a really different read. I know most people said the main character represented an accurate depiction of depression and while I do see that and find his life tragic, I also found him to be extremely self-centered and almost sociopathic. Would recommend!"

Vic

"I ended up skimming most of this. The whole thing felt very egoic and up its own butt. Like I get it: you’re depressed, but it’s hard for me to enjoy the ride when a person knows they need help AND refuses to do anything about it. "