No Longer Human

About “No Longer Human”

No Longer Human is the second novel by Osamu Dazai, a prominent postwar Japanese writer. The story follows a young man caught between the decline of his northern Japanese aristocratic family and the influence of Western ideas. He feels "disqualified from being human," a theme reflected in the novel's title. Translator Donald Keene compared Dazai's work to Chekhov or postwar French literature, while noting its distinct Japanese sensibility. Dazai's style has been likened to Rimbaud, and he is often seen as a precursor to Yukio Mishima. The novel is accessible to Western readers but remains uniquely Japanese in its themes and presentation.