Of course, Yozo himself doesn’t seem to actually care about communism, but the fact that he’s involved with the Communist Party in any capacity only emphasizes the extent to which he’s at odds with mainstream, 1930s Japanese society. Anyone found to be in league with the Communist Party was subject to arrest and imprisonment until they converted to embrace a more nationalist agenda. What’s more, Yozo ends up participating in the Japanese Communist Party, which was officially outlawed in 1925. As a reaction to both diplomatic and financial instability during the Great Depression (which began two years earlier in Japan than it did in the United States), patriotism and a sense of loyalty to Japan became quite common-meaning, of course, that Yozo’s feeling of alienation amongst his fellow Japanese citizens would have gone against societal norms. Although Yozo’s struggles with depression and social isolation are certainly applicable to many different time periods, then, it’s also the case that his individualistic existence is somewhat at odds with the collective, nationalist mentality prominent in Japan at the time. However, it takes place in the 1930s, which was a very specific time in Japanese society. He died in a double suicide in 1948, drowning himself alongside his mistress, Tomie Yamazaki.īecause No Longer Human is a highly autobiographical and confessional novel, it can feel somewhat timeless. Despite his tumultuous personal life and crushing struggle with depression, Dazai wrote many novels in the 1930s and 1940s, including what is perhaps his most famous book, The Setting Sun, in 1947. ![]() ![]() He became addicted to painkillers after a bout with appendicitis and, to overcome his addiction, was eventually taken to a psychiatric ward-an experience he writes about in one of his best-known novels, No Longer Human. He tried to die by suicide again in the 1930s but survived once more. In the ensuing years, Dazai wrote and published a number of short stories, experimenting with his characteristically autobiographical style. Because his powerful family intervened on his behalf, he narrowly avoided legal repercussions for the woman’s death. The woman died, but Dazai was rescued by a passing boat. Shortly thereafter, he tried again to die by suicide, this time attempting to drown alongside a woman he’d met at a bar. He then went to Tokyo Imperial University to study French literature, but he was expelled for not going to class. He survived and was ultimately able to graduate the following year. Dazai started spending his money on alcohol and sex workers, and-two years later-he tried to take his own life. However, he soon lost all interest in school when one of his favorite writers, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, died by suicide in 1927. ![]() Dazai eventually went on to study literature at Hirosaki University, where he edited and wrote for several student publications. As one of the richest landowners in the Aomori Prefecture, Dazai’s father became a politician in Japan’s House of Peers, which ultimately meant he was absent for most of Dazai’s childhood-he died of lung cancer shortly before Dazai entered high school in 1923. He belonged to a large family that was wealthy and influential, having found success in moneylending. The famous Japanese author known by the penname Osamu Dazai was born with the name Shūji Tsushima in 1909.
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