Dazai Osamu
(1909–1948), Japanese writer. Born into a wealthy family in Tsugaru, Aomori prefecture, Dazai Osamu showed a strong interest in writing as a student. Feeling alienated from his fami...
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If Dazai Osamu can be associated with any school of writers in modern Japan, that group would be the burai-ha, or the "vagabond school." Especially active in the years immediately following World War ...
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In the following essay, O'Brien discusses Dazai's writings during the war years (1941–1945), focusing on his retelling of both fairy tales and the writings of Ihara Saikakau.
A ...
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In the following essay, Ueda maintains that Dazai, while saying little about his own works, used the autobiographical tone of his stories and novels to present his thoughts and ideas on the novel and ...
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In the following essay, Lyons explores parallels between Dazai's work and life.
I returned to Tokyo [from Tsugaru] feeling something akin to confidence in the pure Tsugaru character that flo...
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In the following essay, Vardaman compares Dazai's short story “Run, Melos!” with Friedrich Schiller's ballad “Die Bürgschaft.”
Dazai Osamu (1909...
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In the following essay, Tuohy praises Dazai's earlier works but looks less favorably upon the collection Crackling Mountain and Other Stories.
Osamu Dazai was one of the most prominent Japan...
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In the following essay, Wolfe examines suicidal narratives, focusing on Dazai's “Metamorphosis” and “Reminiscences.”
Allegories are always allegories of metaphor ...
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In the following review, Yoshida praises the faithful translation of Crackling Mountain and Other Stories, which includes ten of Dazai's eleven major representative works written before 1945.
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Dazai Osamu
Shuji Tsushima
Critical Essay by James A. O'Brien
