{"product_id":"the-real-osamu-dazai-9784805318348","title":"The Real Osamu Dazai","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Dazai's brand of egoistic pessimism dovetails organically with the emo chic of this cultural moment and with the inner lives of teenagers of all eras.\"\u003c\/i\u003e —Andrew Martin, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"… translator O'Brien excels, his unembellished use of language allowing the comically dry but fraught moments of Dazai's prose to flourish.\"\u003c\/i\u003e —\u003ci\u003eAsian Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBest-known for his novels \u003ci\u003eNo Longer Human\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Setting Sun\u003c\/i\u003e, Dazai was also an acclaimed writer of short stories, experimenting with a wide variety of styles and bringing to each work a sophisticated sense of humor, a broad empathy for the human condition and a tremendous literary talent. The twenty stories in this collection include:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMemories\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e — An autobiographical tale in which Dazai relates episodes from his own childhood and adolescence, showing his relationship with his family and his tendency towards introspection and self-dramatization\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn the Question of Apparel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e — A comic tour-de-force in which Dazai examines the hold that fashion has over him and how it relates to his own pathetic self-image\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Poor Man's Got His Pride\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e — A retelling of a story by 18th-century master of burlesque fiction Ihara Saikaku, about a fallen samurai who lives in poverty\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Sound of Hammering\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e — A love story set against the backdrop of the rebuilding of Tokyo after the city was totally destroyed during World War Two\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnd sixteen other stories!\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBy turns hilarious, ironic, introspective, mystical and sarcastic, these stories present a fully rounded portrait of a talented writer who tried several times to take his own life and ultimately succeeded. An introduction by translator James O'Brien gives the background to Dazai's life and shows how the stories in this book, whether autobiographical or fictional, contribute to an understanding of one of Japan's greatest writers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e**Recommended for readers 16 years \u0026amp; up. Not intended for high school classroom use due to adult content.**\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Osamu Dazai","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48294587203835,"sku":"9784805318348","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0779\/3917\/9771\/files\/unnamed_0c5f9552-c78f-406a-8ef5-cd564a767e00.jpg?v=1779315808","url":"https:\/\/indiepubs.com\/products\/the-real-osamu-dazai-9784805318348","provider":"IndiePubs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}