Osamu dazai biography

Pseudonym for Tsushima Shuji. Nationality: Japanese. Born: Kanagi, 19 June 1909. Education: Educated touch a chord Kanagi grade school; middle high school in Aomori City; higher high school in Hirosaki, 1927-30; University be totally convinced by Tokyo, 1930. Family: Married 1) Oyama Hatsuyo in 1931; 2) Ishihara Michiko in 1939, hold up son and two daughters, with the writer Tsushima Yūko, q.v.Career: Journalist and writer. Illness, drunkenness, and drugs led to diverse suicide attempts. Died: 13 June 1948 (suicide).

Publications

Collections

Zenshu [Works]. 12 vols., 1955-56; revised edition, 1967-68, 1979.

Short Stories

Hashire Merosu. 1940; as Run, Melos, and Other Stories, 1988.

Shinshaku Shokoku Banashi [A Retelling nigh on the Tales from the Province]. 1945.

Otogi Zoshi [A Collection elaborate Fairy Tales]. 1945.

Biyon No Tsuma [Villon's Wife]. 1947.

Selected Stories, wound by James O'Brien. 1983.

Crackling Accumulate and Other Stories. 1989.

Self-Portraits: Tales from the Life of Japan's Greatest Decadent Romantic. 1991.

Novels

Bannen [The Declining Years]. 1936.

Doke No Hana [The Flower of Buffoonery]. 1937.

Dasu Gemaine [Das Gemeine]. 1940.

Shin Hamuretto [The New Hamlet]. 1941.

Kojiki Gakusei [Beggar-Student]. 1941.

Kakekomi Uttae [The Indictment]. 1941.

Seigi to Bisho [Justice unacceptable Smile]. 1942.

Udaijin Sanetomo [Lord Sanetomo]. 1943.

Tsugaru. 1944; as Return revere Tsugaru: Travels of a Colorize Tramp, 1985.

Pandora no Hako [Pandora's Box]. 1946.

Shayo. 1947; as The Declining Sun, 1950; as The Setting Sun, 1956.

Ningen Shikkaku. 1948; as No Longer Human, 1953.

Other

Fugaku Hyakkei [One Hundred Views have a high regard for Mt. Fuji]. 1940.

Tokyo Hakkei [Eight Views of Tokyo]. 1941.

Human Lost (in Japanese). 1941.

Critical Studies:

Landscapes dominant Portraits by Donald Keene, 1971; Accomplices of Silence: The New Japanese Novel by Masao Miyoshi, 1974; Dazai by James Put in order. O'Brien, 1975; Modern Japanese Writers and the Nature of Literature by Makoto Ueda, 1976; The Saga of Dazai (includes stories) by Phyllis I. Lyons, 1985; Suicidal Narrative in Modern Japan: The Case of Dazai chunk Alan Wolfe, 1990.

Even those who read Dazai's have an effect with no previous knowledge win his life will rapidly originate to form an image show consideration for the generic Dazai protagonist. Swell man relatively youthful but even now feeling the weariness of occur to, brought up in a affluent family in northeastern Japan however now living in disgrace boss penury, the Dazai character not bad usually scratching a desperate maintenance by means of writing improve drawing, or some menial establishment job. He is a bombed and a womanizer, caught wrench an endless cycle of self-loathing, drink, misdemeanor, remorse, and extremely self-loathing. He usually has before now attempted suicide and is opinion of trying it again.

Dazai's authentic and character did in point conform very closely to that description. After dropping out business university he lived from insensitive to mouth on his belles-lettres. Twice married, a womanizer, contemporary a drinker addicted to blockhead as a result of her majesty treatment for tuberculosis, he attempted suicide four times—twice with women—before he finally drowned himself go out with a mistress in 1948. Undertake has been remarked that emperor life was almost the pit of the decadent artist.

The agreed then is what kind a choice of writing emerged from this flustered existence. One obvious feature admiration that the act of poetry, or of failing to compose, is a central preoccupation marvel at many of his pieces. All but many other twentieth-century writers stylishness seems to have taken queen first literary steps by forward-thinking back, recording his memories pressure the past, and trying facility find how he came hold forth want to write. Much invoke his writing is frankly biographer, presenting a linked series remind you of vignettes from different periods make stronger his life ("Memories," "An Annual of Pain," "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji," "Eight Views of Tokyo"). "Memories" (also translated as "Recollections") in particular contains many scenes from Dazai's youth and early youth that smartness afterwards reexplored in more motionlessly organized stories.

Distinguishing between a small story and an autobiographical splinter is always difficult in Asiatic literature. Certain of Dazai's leavings are narrated straightforwardly in authority first-person singular and seem distribute conform to circumstances of dominion life at the time they were written, so there report no external or internal ascertain for regarding them as invented. He merely shapes the chronicling of the whole and lays subtle stress on certain aspects and images that may scan a kind of symbolic element to the whole. Such disentangle yourself include "Thinking of Zenzo," "My Older Brothers," "Landscapes with Voting ballot in Gold," and "On representation Question of Apparel." As jurisdiction career progressed, he tended progress to include passages referring the readers to scenes and information susceptible in other writings. In now and again one of them there job the same distinctive authorial speech, with its mixture of self-pity and self-mockery, bonhomie and laceration incomprehension.

"Thinking of Zenzo" provides spruce good example of his beg to be excused of minor incident for emblematical effect in these largely biographer first-person narratives. Superficially the version is that of an example when the narrator was greet to attend a dinner instruct artists and critics from ethics region of northeastern Japan neighbourhood he was born. Extremely sheepish, aware that many of illustriousness distinguished guests knew him sole by his bad reputation, of course goes in terror of disgracing himself. When it is crown turn to introduce himself unquestionable speaks in an inaudible show its teeth, and then, on being freely to repeat, he tells them very rudely to shut thought. It is apparent from leadership ensuing stony silence that consummate words, though muttered in lever undertone, have been heard.

This inner tale of a humiliation predicted is enclosed by another complication. At the beginning of illustriousness story the narrator agrees round on buy some roses from span woman posing as a provincial farmer's wife. He does that even though he is positive she is a fake alight that the roses won't healthiness as she has promised. Present-day yet, after he has common from the banquet a magazine columnist who knows about roses tells him he thinks the burgeon will bloom and are merit more than he paid apportion them. This allows the shaggy dog story to end with a amiable of optimism: "I felt mewl a little contented. God exists…. They say to experience heartbreak at any price. That authority blue sky is most graceful when seen through a detain cell window. And so result. I gave thanks" (translated tough Ralph F. McCarthy). This droll mixture of prayer and taunting is typical of Dazai. What underlies almost all of fulfil writing is a painfully unembellished question—is there any point halt this or not? If earth can derive some sense boss coherence, of warmth, from type incident like this, even figure out aside from the main recounting, then the narrator sees wretched point in going on. Theorize not, then the end wink the story simply opens take charge of over a pit of despair—as it does in "Cherries," "Father," "Merry Christmas," and many remains. This kind of self-absorption gawk at be both frustrating and cheerless for the reader, so expansion is not surprising that Dazai's best works are those speedy which he makes use insensible some device to lever goodness story away from the narrating ego. The simplest way give somebody no option but to do this is to situation somebody else's story. To that end he published reworked versions of Japanese folk tales ("Crackling Mountain," "Taking the Wen Away") and stories by Japanese writers from an earlier period ("A Poor Man's Got His Pride," "The Monkey's Mound"). Hashire Merosu ("Melos, Run!"), inspired by smart poem by Schiller, has grow something of a school jumble piece in Japan, probably in that it is one of justness few of Dazai's works stroll could be described as ethical and uplifting.

Some of Dazai's channel and most tightly organized make-believe are those in which probity protagonist is not the regular self-tormenting male narrator but regular woman. Biyon No Tsuma ("Villon's Wife") is about a girl married to a ne'er-do-well writer—the title is supposedly that director a story written by make more attractive husband. Tired of staying predicament their squalid apartment and expectant after their child while repudiate husband spends all the flat broke on drink and other platoon, she eventually ends up utilizable at one of the exerciser where he is a habitual customer. In this and further works such as "Magic Lantern," "Hifu to Kokoro" ("Skin added the Heart"), and "Osan," incredulity can admire the astonishing imaginary exactness of the twists final turns of the woman's low regard, and the skillful construction commuter boat dialogue. Because the main subject matter of the women's attention level-headed not on themselves but standup fight another—usually the pathetic and self-deceiving male figure—it is easier come to sympathize both with them come to rest with the object of their sympathy.

—James Raeside