Book description
Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes…
Why read it?
3 authors picked No Longer Human as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Told with unflinching honesty, this dark Japanese classic is often considered a kind of suicide note by its author, who killed himself shortly before its publication.
Whilst I cannot say that I’ve necessarily gone through some of the extreme experiences of its protagonist, I can nevertheless say that I’ve experienced a very similar sense of alienation, which has at times made me feel less than human, making this one of the most relatable books that I have ever read.
Considering its contents, I should probably not tell that to my psychiatrist. I'm just kidding; I don’t have one. However, considering…
From Keijo's list on The best novels about alienation and self-destruction.
Through Dazi's description and characterisation of his troubled main character, he perfectly describes the mindset of his alienated protagonist. He makes a believable link between thoughts and actions, and because of this, the book flows nicely and leaves you thinking about it long after you have turned the final page.
No Longer Human spans an entire human life in all its nuances and difficulties.
In some of the more difficult periods of my life, I’ve remembered my experience of No Longer Human and its intricacies in depicting the swarm of political ideology and manipulation of difficult relationships.
It’s a work that beckons you to live your life to your ends and fear only your loss of control over your narrative.
From May's list on The best books about unfathomable nightmares.
If you love No Longer Human...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
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