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What I’ve Learned from Osamu Dazai’s “No Longer Human”
Either stay true to yourself or die trying.
“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.”
— Oba Yozo
Ningen Shikkaku, known internationally as No Longer Human, is a 1948 novel by the Japanese author Osamu Dazai. The novel has been critically acclaimed and widely considered to be Dazai’s masterpiece. Until today, it’s still the 2nd all-time best-selling novel in Japan, right behind Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro.
I only read the book last year, and I found it astonishing, to say the least. It’s the kind of book that peels into the deepest layer of your psyche, and forces you to confront the side of yourself you don’t want to see. It was uncomfortable, but that’s how all meaningful transformations happen.
In this article, I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned from No Longer Human. Before we go into it, though, let’s learn about the book itself.
