I first heard about Osamu Dazai on the internet, BookTube in particular, a few years back when the internet was suddenly abuzz with discussions about his books, especially his melancholy way of writing. I learnt quite a lot about his life from BookTubers, particularly his self-destructive ways, and it intrigued me. I googled him and read whatever I could find on him. Dazai’s life was traumatic and fascinating, and he lived life on the edge. 

Dazai was the sixth son of a wealthy politician. He was one of the best fiction authors of Japan during the second world war. Dazai lived a relatively short life, ending it by suicide in 1948, leaving behind an unfinished manuscript titled ‘Goodbye’. His novel ‘No Longer Human’ was one of the more popular ones among his works but I could only get my hands on ‘The Setting Sun’. The book is short, at just a little over a 100 pages, and is set in post-World War II Japan. 

The narrator of the story is 29-year-old Kazuko, a young woman from an aristocratic family that is slowly perishing. Kazuko is struggling with her mother’s declining health and her brother Naoji’s addiction. She’s wondering where her life is headed while trying to come to terms with what’s happening around her. The book is short but there’s a lot to unpack, especially since it questions what it means to be human in a changing world. The book, though written 79 years ago, feels as relevant today as it was back then. 

It’s believed that Dazai’s writing takes inspiration from his turbulent life. A sense of gloom pervaded his life and his works too have a dark and moody undertone. Dazai showed a lot of potential for writing from an early age but the sudden suicide of his favorite author Ryunosuke Akutagawa affected him and he spiraled into self-doubt and depression. He tried to commit suicide, ran away with a geisha, and became affiliated with the banned Japanese Communist Party. He even stopped going to university. 

His family ultimately disowned him and it was only after he tried to kill himself for the second time that his family agreed to take care of his finances if he completed his degree. He got married but his wife cheated on him with his best friend. They later divorced after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He married another woman but also cheated on her with someone else, though he ultimately left them both. Dazai suffered from mental health problems and alcoholism and died by suicide on the fourth attempt.

You get a glimpse of the genius as well as his mental state in his books. I have heard that most of Dazai’s works have a fair bit of humor in them too but The Setting Sun is one of his bleaker books. Though short, Dazai has given attention to his characters to make readers care about and empathize with them. You can probably read The Setting Sun in a single sitting but you will be thinking about it long after having finished it. 

Fiction

The Setting Sun

Osamu Dazai

Published: 1947

Publisher: Shinchosha

Pages: 126, Paperback (Wilco edition reprint)