No Longer Human
Dazai's most internationally recognized novel and his starkest exploration of alienation and social disconnection.
Author guide
Osamu Dazai Books in Order
Osamu Dazai was the pen name of Shūji Tsushima (1909–1948), a major Japanese writer associated with the postwar buraiha or decadent school. His work ranges from novels and autobiographical fiction to essays, travel memoirs, plays, and modern retellings of classical Japanese stories. His best-known books include The Setting Sun, No Longer Human, Tsugaru, Fairy Tales, and Villon's Wife.
novelsshort storiesautobiographical fictionessaysmemoirsplaysliterary retellings
Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
The Setting Sun
A concise, influential postwar novel that introduces Dazai's social and psychological themes.
Fairy Tales
An accessible collection showcasing Dazai's humor and inventive modern retellings of Japanese folktales.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (10)
- Schoolgirl
novella · 1939
The novella that first propelled Dazai into the literary elite of post-war Japan. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, ***Schoolgirl*** gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language. Now it illuminates the prevalent…
- Memories
autobiographical-fiction · 1940
- Women's Duel
novella · 1940
- New Hamlet
novel · 1941
- Righteousness and Smiles
novel · 1942
- Sanetomo, Minister of the Right
novel · 1943
- Regretful Parting
novel · 1945
- Pandora's Box
epistolary-novel · 1946
The war is over. Japan is defeated. As his country rebuilds, a young man must fight disease and rebuild his life. He will start at a peculiar sanatorium, where everyone gets a nickname, and where he is surrounded by an odd assortment of…
- The Setting Sun
novel · 1947
"Set in the early postwar years, it probes the destructive effects of war and the transition from a feudal Japan to an industrial society. Ozamu Dazai died, a suicide, in 1948. But the influence of his book has made "people of the setting…
- No Longer Human
novel · 1948
Oba Yozo's 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.…
Nonfiction (1)
- Tsugaru
travel-memoir · 1944
Short fiction (26)
- The Final Years
short-story-collection · 1936
- Kyoko no Hoko
short-story-collection · 1937
- A Standard-bearer of the Twentieth Century
short-story-collection · 1937
- About Love and Beauty
short-story-collection · 1939
- Skin and Heart
short-story-collection · 1940
- Eight Views of Tokyo
short-story-collection · 1941
- Chiyojo
short-story-collection · 1941
- News from the Wind
short-story-collection · 1942
- Alt-Heidelberg
short-story-collection · 1942
- Women
short-story-collection · 1942
- Albatross
short-story-collection · 1942
- One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji
short-story-collection · 1943
- Happy Day
short-story-collection · 1944
- New Interpretation of Country Stories
short-story-collection · 1945
- Fairy Tales
short-story-collection · 1945
- Toys
short-story-collection · 1946
- Early Light
short-story-collection · 1946
Early Light offers three very different aspects of Osamu Dazai's genius: the title story relates his misadventures as a drinker and a family man in the terrible fire bombings of Tokyo at the end of WWII. Having lost their own home, he and…
- The Monkey-faced Man
short-story-collection · 1947
- The Flowers of Buffoonery
short-story-collection · 1947
The Flowers of Buffoonery opens in a seaside sanitarium where Yozo Oba — the narrator of No Longer Human — is convalescing after a failed suicide attempt. Friends and family visit him, and nurses and police drift in and out of his room.…
- Mr. Oson's Records
short-story-collection · 1947
- Obasute
short-story-collection · 1947
- The Romantic Lantern
short-story-collection · 1947
- Villon's Wife
short-story-collection · 1947
- The God of Farce
short-story-collection · 1947
- The Goddess
short-story-collection · 1947
- Cherries
short-story-collection · 1948
Essays and speeches (2)
- Dazai Osamu's Essays
essay-collection · 1948
- Thus Have I Heard
essay-collection · 1948
Plays (1)
- Winter Fireworks
play-collection · 1947
Frequently asked questions about Osamu Dazai
What was Osamu Dazai’s real name?
Osamu Dazai was the pen name of Shūji Tsushima, a Japanese novelist.
Source: ndl.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
When and where was Osamu Dazai born, and when did he die?
He was born on June 19, 1909, in the Tsugaru area of Aomori Prefecture, and died on June 13, 1948.
Sources: ndl.go.jp (opens in a new tab)bookmark.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
What literary traditions and influences shaped Osamu Dazai’s writing?
He studied French literature at Tokyo Imperial University, wrote in the first-person confessional mode associated with the Japanese I-novel, and reworked Japanese classics and fairy tales. He also studied with writer Masuji Ibuse.
Sources: bookmark.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)ndl.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
Did Osamu Dazai win the Akutagawa Prize?
No. His 1935 story “Gyakko” was nominated for the first Akutagawa Prize, but the official winners list records Tatsuzō Ishikawa as the winner, not Dazai.
Sources: jlpp.go.jp (opens in a new tab)bungakushinko.or.jp (opens in a new tab)
Why is Osamu Dazai still considered an important Japanese author?
His writing explores isolation, adolescent distress, and other broadly human emotions, helping sustain his popularity in Japan and abroad. The Japan Foundation notes that more than 300 translations of his works have appeared in multiple languages.