ROVING EYE
Osamu Dazai, With Help From TikTok, Keeps Finding New Fans
The enduring appeal of a midcentury Japanese novelist who wrote of alienation and suicide.
THE FLOWERS OF BUFFOONERY (New Directions, 96 pp., paperback, $14.95), a 1935 novella newly translated by Sam Bett, features an earlier version of Yozo and explores Dazai’s usual concerns in a lighter, more comic key, albeit in a story that, yes, chronicles the aftermath of a suicide attempt. As in “No Longer Human,” and echoing Dazai’s own experience, Yozo has survived a leap from a cliff into the sea thanks to a passing fishing boat; the cafe waitress with whom he jumped has not. Dazai focuses on the relationship between Yozo and his friends Kosuge and Hida, both of whom keep Yozo company as he recovers at a sanitarium and tries to evade legal responsibility for his action. Dazai captures the sweetness under the pretended bravado of these baffled youth. The boys play silly card games and strike poses on the balcony to catch the attention of the female patients. They won’t allow themselves to comprehend the enormity of what Yozo has done.
Neither, perhaps, can Dazai himself at this stage of his career. In a creaky metafictional device, the author interjects frequently to comment on the banality of the story we’re reading and to lament his inability to grasp the profundity of the situation. Like the young men themselves, the narrator is clowning to keep from crying, but the story never develops the depth of feeling that marks Dazai’s mature work. Whereas “No Longer Human” ends on the ironic revelation that an old acquaintance of Yozo’s remembers him, despite his misdeeds, as “a good boy, an angel,” the narrator of “Flowers of Buffoonery” bluntly asserts midway through the book that “Yozo was not merely close to god, but like one. Like the goddess of wisdom, Minerva, sending her sacred bird, the owl, out into the dusky sky and laughing to herself at the sight of it all.” One imagines this is a parody of or homage to the French decadents he admired (as is the title’s play on “The Flowers of Evil”), but, like the literal cliffhanger ending, it’s more clever than convincing.
More illuminating, and an altogether more impressive demonstration of Dazai’s psychological insight, are the three stories collected in the recently published EARLY LIGHT (New Directions, 72 pp., $17.95), particularly “Villon’s Wife.” Like “The Setting Sun,” Dazai’s best novel, the story focuses on a woman forced to deal with the consequences of heedless, Dazai-like behavior. Desperate to pay back her husband’s astronomical bar tab, Mrs. Otani goes to work in his favorite restaurant, and surprises herself by finding joy and satisfaction in the job. After she is followed home and raped by a customer, she returns to the restaurant the next day to find her husband blithely unaware, reading a newspaper article about himself. “It says here that I’m a monster,” he reports. “That’s not true, is it?” His wife, summoning the wisdom and resignation of countless partners of egomaniacal artists, gets the last word: “There’s nothing wrong with being a monster, is there? As long as we can stay alive.” I think it would make a great TikTok.
Andrew Martin is the author of the novel “Early Work” and the story collection “Cool for America.”
| Year | Japanese Title | English Title | Translator(s) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Mugen naraku | "Bottomless Hell" | ||
| Aware ga | "The Pitiable Mosquitoes" | Referenced in "Leaves." | ||
| 1930 | Jinushi ichidai | “A Landlord’s Life” | incomplete | |
| 1933 | 列車 Ressha | "The Train" | McCarthy | Wins prize from Tōō Nippō newspaper.[21] In The Final Years. |
| 魚服記 Gyofukuki | "Metamorphosis" or "Transformation"; also translated as "Undine" | O'Brien | In The Final Years. | |
| 思い出 Omoide | "Memories" or "Recollections" | Dunlop; Lyons; O'Brien | First published in Kaihyō;[22] In The Final Years. | |
| 1934 | Yonosuke no kien | "Big Talk from Yonosuke" | Partially ghost-written piece published under Ibuse Masuji’s name.[21] | |
| 葉 Ha | "Leaves"[1] | Gangloff | In The Final Years. | |
| 猿面冠者Sarumenkanja | "Monkey-Faced Youth" | In The Final Years. | ||
| 彼は昔の彼ならず Kare wa mukashi no kare narazu | "He Is Not the Man He Used to Be" | In The Final Years. | ||
| ロマネスコRomanesuku | "Romanesque" | Published in the first and only issue of Aoi Hana.[23] In The Final Years. | ||
| 1935 | 逆行 Gyakkō | "Losing Ground" | First appeared in literary magazine Bungei.[24] Was submitted for the first Akutagawa Prize, but did not win. The story was judged by Yasunari Kawabata to be unworthy due to the author's moral character, a pronouncement that prompted an angry reply from Dazai.[25] In The Final Years. | |
| 道化の華 Dōke no Hana | "The Flowers of Buffoonery" | In The Final Years. | ||
| Dasu gemaine | "Das Gemeine" | O'Brien | ||
| Kawabata Yasunari e | "To Yasunari Kawabata" | |||
| 猿ヶ島 Sarugashima | "Monkey Island" | O'Brien | In The Final Years. | |
| 玩具 Gangu | "Toys" | O'Brien | In The Final Years. | |
| 陰火 Inka | "Inka" (Will-o'-the-Wisp) | In The Final Years. | ||
| 1936 | 虚構の春 Kyokō no Haru | "False Spring" | ||
| 晩年 Bannen | The Final Years | First collection of short stories. | ||
| 1937 | 二十世紀旗手 Nijusseiki Kishu | "A Standard-bearer of the Twentieth Century" | ||
| HUMAN LOST | "HUMAN LOST" | |||
| 1938 | 満願 Mangan | "Fulfilment of a Vow" or "A Promise Fulfilled"[2] | Brudnoy & Kazuko; McCarthy | First appeared in the September 1938 issue of Bungakukai. In Schoolgirl. |
| 姥捨 Ubasute | "Putting Granny Out to Die" | O'Brien | First appeared in the October 1938 issue of Shinchō. In Schoolgirl. | |
| Hino tori | "The Firebird" | |||
| 1939 | I can speak | "I Can Speak"[3] | Brudnoy & Kazuko; McCarthy | In Schoolgirl. |
| 富嶽百景 Fugaku Hyakkei | "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji" | McCarthy | First appeared in Bungakukai, February & March 1939. In Schoolgirl. | |
| 黄金風景 Ōgon fūkei | "Golden Landscape" or "Seascape with Figures in Gold" | Dunlop; McCarthy | First appeared in Kokumin Shinbun, March 2–3 1939. In Schoolgirl. | |
| 女生徒 Joseito | Schoolgirl | Powell | Novella which first appeared in the April 1939 issue of Bungakukai; also the title of a collection of stories in which it appears. Winner of the Kitamura Tokoku Award[26] | |
| 懶惰の歌留多 | "Slothful Utaruta" | First appeared in the April 1939 issue of Bungei. In Schoolgirl. | ||
| Oshare doji | "The Stylish Child" | |||
| 1940 | 女の決闘 Onna no Kettō | "Women's Duel" | ||
| Zokutenshi | "Worldly Angel" | |||
| Anitachi | "My Older Brothers" | McCarthy; O'Brien | ||
| Haru no tozoku | "A Burglar in Spring" | |||
| Zenzō o omou | "Thinking of Zenzō" | McCarthy | ||
| Kojiki gakusei | "Beggar Student" | |||
| 駈込み訴へ Kakekomi Uttae | "Heed My Plea" | O'Brien | ||
| 走れメロス Hashire Merosu | "Run, Melos!" | McCarthy; O'Brien | ||
| 1941 | Tokyo hakkei | "Eight Views of Tokyo" | Lyons; McCarthy; O'Brien | |
| 新ハムレット Shin-Hamuretto | "New Hamlet" | |||
| Fukusō ni tsuite | "On the Question of Apparel" | O'Brien | ||
| 1942 | Hanabi | "Fireworks" | Censored by the authorities, but published after the war as "Before the Dawn" (Hinode mae).[27] | |
| 正義と微笑 Seigi to Bisho | "Righteousness and Smiles" | |||
| Kikyorai | "Going Home" | Lyons | ||
| 1943 | Hibari no koe | "Voice of the Lark" | Marshall | Published after the war in 1945 as "Pandora’s Box" (パンドラの匣 Pandora no Hako).[27] |
| Kokyō | "Homecoming" | O'Brien | ||
| 右大臣実朝 Udaijin Sanetomo | "Sanetomo, Minister of the Right" | |||
| 1944 | Kajitsu | "Happy Day" | Filmed as Four Marriages Yottsu no kekkon). | |
| 津軽 Tsugaru | Tsugaru | Marshall; Westerhoven | ||
| Hin no iji | "A Poor Man's Got His Pride" | O'Brien | ||
| Saruzuka | "The Monkey's Mound" | O'Brien | ||
| 1945 | 新釈諸国噺 Shinshaku Shokoku Banashi | New Tales of the Provinces | ||
| 惜別 Sekibetsu | Regretful Parting | |||
| お伽草紙 Otogizōshi | Fairy Tales | Collection of short stories | ||
| Kobutori | "Taking the Wen Away" | O'Brien | ||
| 1946 | 冬の花火 Fuyu no Hanabi | Fireworks in Winter | Play | |
| Niwa | "The Garden" | McCarthy | ||
| 苦悩の年鑑 Kuno no Nenkan | Almanac of Pain | Lyons | Autobiography | |
| 十五年間 Jugonenkan | For Fifteen Years | Autobiography | ||
| Haru no kareha | "Dry Leaves in Spring" | Broadcast as a radio play on NHK the following year.[28] | ||
| Shin’yu kokan | "The Courtesy Call" | |||
| Kahei | "Currency" | O'Brien | ||
| 1947 | Tokatonton | "The Sound of Hammering" | O'Brien | |
| ヴィヨンの妻 Viyon No Tsuma | "Villon's Wife" | McCarthy | ||
| Osan | "Osan" | O'Brien | ||
| 斜陽 Shayō | The Setting Sun | Keene | ||
| 1948 | 如是我聞 Nyoze gamon | "Thus Have I Heard" | Essay responding to Shiga Naoya’s criticism of his work[28] | |
| 桜桃 Ōtō | "Cherries" | McCarthy | ||
| 人間失格 Ningen Shikkaku | No Longer Human | Gibeau; Keene | (2018 English Translation/Variation: A Shameful Life) | |
| グッド・バイ Guddo-bai | Good-Bye | Marshall | incomplete | |
| Katei no kofuku | "The Happiness of the Home" | |||
| 19?? | Chikukendan | "Canis familiaris" | McCarthy | |
| 地球図 Chikyūzu | "Chikyūzu" | Before 1937. In The Final Years. | ||
| Chiyojo | "Chiyojo" | Dunlop | ||
| Kachikachiyama | "Crackling Mountain" | O'Brien | ||
| Hakumei | "Early Light" | McCarthy | ||
| Sange | "Fallen Flowers"[4] | Swann | ||
| Chichi | "The Father"[5] | Brudnoy & Kazuko | ||
| Mesu ni tsuite | "Female" | McCarthy | ||
| Bidanshi to tabako | "Handsome Devils and Cigarettes" | McCarthy | ||
| Bishōjo | "A Little Beauty" | McCarthy | ||
| めくら草紙 Mekura no sōshi | "Mekura no sōshi" | "The Blind Book." Title is intended as a parody of Makura no sōshi (The Pillow Book).[29] Before 1937. In The Final Years. | ||
| Merii kurisumasu | "Merry Christmas" | McCarthy | ||
| Asa | "Morning"[6] | Brudnoy & Yumi | ||
| Haha | "Mother"[7] | Brudnoy & Yumi | ||
| Zakyō ni arazu | "No Kidding" | McCarthy | ||
| "Shame"[8] | Dunlop | |||
| Yuki no yo no hanashi | "A Snowy Night's Tale" | Swann | ||
| 雀こ Suzumeko | "Suzumeko" | Before 1937. In The Final Years. | ||
| Oya to iu niji | "Two Little Words" | McCarthy | ||
| Matsu | "Waiting"[9] | Brudnoy & Kazuko; Turvill |
- Omoide
- "Omoide" is an autobiography where Tsushima created a character named Osamu to use instead of himself to enact his own memories. Furthermore, Tsushima also conveys his perspective and analysis of these situations.[30]
- The Flowers of Buffoonery
- "The Flowers of Buffoonery" relates the story of Oba Yozo and his time recovering in the hospital from an attempted suicide. Although his friends attempt to cheer him up, their words are fake, and Oba sits in the hospital simply reflecting on his life.[31]
- One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji
- "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji" shares Tsushima's experience staying at Misaka. He meets with a man named Ibuse Masuji, a previous mentor, who has arranged an o-miai for Dazai. Dazai meets the woman, Ishihara Michiko, who he later decides to marry.[32]
- The Setting Sun
- The Setting Sun focuses on a small, formerly rich, family: a widowed mother, a divorced daughter, and a drug-addicted son who has just returned from the army and the war in the South Pacific. After WWII the family has to vacate their Tokyo home and move to the countryside, in Izu, Shizuoka, as the daughter's uncle can no longer support them financially [33]
- No Longer Human
- No Longer Human focuses on the main character, Oba Yozo. Oba explains his life from a point in his childhood to somewhere in adulthood. Unable to properly understand how to interact and understand people he resorts to tomfoolery to make friends and hide his misinterpretations of social cues. His façade doesn't fool everyone and doesn't solve every problem. Due to the influence of a classmate named Horiki, he falls into a world of drinking and smoking. He relies on Horiki during his time in college to assist with social situations. With his life spiraling downwards after failing in college, Oba continues his story and conveys his feelings about the people close to him and society in general.[34]
- Good-Bye
- An editor tries to avoid women with whom he had past sexual relations. Using the help of a female friend he does his best to avoid their advances and hide the unladylike qualities of his friend.[35]
Selected bibliography of English translations[edit]
- The Setting Sun (斜陽 Shayō), translated by Donald Keene. Norfolk, Connecticut, James Laughlin, 1956. (Japanese publication: 1947).
- No Longer Human (人間失格 Ningen Shikkaku), translated by Donald Keene. Norfolk, Connecticut, New Directions Publishers, 1958.
- Dazai Osamu, Selected Stories and Sketches, translated by James O’Brien. Ithaca, New York, China-Japan Program, Cornell University, 1983?
- Return to Tsugaru: Travels of a Purple Tramp (津軽), translated by James Westerhoven. New York, Kodansha International Ltd., 1985.
- Run, Melos! and Other Stories. Trans. Ralph F. McCarthy. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1988. Tokyo: Kodansha English Library, 1988.
- Crackling Mountain and Other Stories, translated by James O’Brien. Rutland, Vermont, Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1989.
- Self Portraits: Tales from the Life of Japan's Great Decadent Romantic, translated by Ralph F. McCarthy. Tokyo, New York, Kodansha International, Ltd., 1991.
- Blue Bamboo: Tales of Fantasy and Romance, translated by Ralph F. McCarthy. Tokyo and New York, Kodansha International, 1993.
- Schoolgirl (女生徒 Joseito), translated by Allison Markin Powell. New York: One Peace Books, 2011.
- Otogizōshi: The Fairy Tale Book of Dazai Osamu (お伽草紙 Otogizōshi), translated by Ralph F. McCarthy. Fukuoka, Kurodahan Press, 2011.
- Blue Bamboo: Tales by Dazai Osamu (竹青 Chikusei), translated by Ralph F. McCarthy. Fukuoka, Kurodahan Press, 2012.
- A Shameful Life: (Ningen Shikkaku) (人間失格 Ningen Shikkaku), translated by Mark Gibeau. Berkeley, Stone Bridge Press, 2018.
- "Wish Fulfilled" (満願), translated by Reiko Seri and Doc Kane. Kobe, Japan, 2019.
In popular culture[edit]
Dazai's literary work No Longer Human has received quite a few adaptations: a graphic novel written by the horror manga artist Junji Ito, a film directed by Genjiro Arato, the first four episodes of the anime series Aoi Bungaku, and a variety of mangas one of which was serialized in Shinchosha's Comic Bunch magazine. It is also the name of an ability in the anime Bungo Stray Dogs and Bungo and Alchemist, used by a character named after Dazai himself.
The book is also the central work in one of the volumes of the Japanese light novel series Book Girl, Book Girl and the Suicidal Mime,[36] although other works of his are also mentioned. Dazai's works are also discussed in the Book Girl manga and anime series. Dazai is often quoted by the male protagonist, Kotaro Azumi, in the anime series Tsuki ga Kirei, as well as by Ken Kaneki in Tokyo Ghoul.
第 507 夜 ：太宰治 『女生徒』 (《女生徒》（1939年，砂子屋書房）)
陳夏民也開啟另一個出版脈絡，以不必支付版稅的公版翻譯書為強打，出版日本作家太宰治的《御迦草紙》......
「我是第77851號的百圓紙幣。您不妨察看一下錢包裡的百圓紙幣，或許我就在裡頭。我已經精疲力竭，連自己究竟被揣在誰的懷裡，抑或被丟進紙屑簍裡都不曉得了。聽聞最近要推出新款的紙鈔，我們這些舊紙幣全都要回收燒毀了。與其像現在這樣不知道自己是生是死，乾脆燒掉生天還來得痛快。至於被燒了以後，會上天堂還是下地獄，全憑老天爺的定奪了，說不定我會掉進地獄裡去呢。
剛出生的時候，我不像現在這樣卑賤。若不是後來又發行了許多二百圓紙幣呀、千圓紙幣呀，這些比我來得高貴的鈔票，想當年我出生時，百圓紙幣可是傲視所有錢幣的女王呢！當我第一次從東京的大銀行櫃台交到某個人手中時那個人的手不禁微微地發抖，……哎，我說的是真的哪。那是一個年輕的木匠，他謹慎地把我平平整整地收進圍裙的口袋裡，左手掌輕輕按住，宛如肚子疼一般，走在路上時摁著，搭乘電車時也捂著，就是說他打從銀行回到家裡，左手掌始終壓在口袋上。進了家門，他趕緊把我擺到神龕上供奉。我邁向人生的第一步，便是如此幸福。」
─摘自《奇想與微笑─太宰治短篇傑作選（森見登美彥編）》http://ppt.cc/v9KG
領到壓歲錢了嗎？
還是都包出去了？
注意過鈔票上的編號嗎？
有沒有想像過他是經過哪些人哪些事，才輾轉來到你手上，
離開你之後又會旅行到哪些人手中呢？
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