Full Details
Osamu Dazai
| Full Name: | Shuji Tsushima |
| Born: | June 19, 1909 Kanagi, Aomori, Japan |
| Died: | June 13, 1948 Tokyo, Japan |
| Occupation: | Writer |
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Biography
Osamu Dazai (the pen name used by Shuji Tsushima) was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayo and Ningen Shikkaku, are considered modern-day classics in Japan. With a semi-autobiographical style and transparency into his personal life, Dazai's stories have intrigued the minds of many readers. His books also bring about awareness to a number of important topics such as human nature, mental illness, social relationships, and postwar Japan.
One such literary work, Ningen Shikkaku, has received quite a few adaptations: a film directed by Genjiro Arato, the first four episodes of the anime series Aoi Bungaku, and a manga serialized in Shinchosha's Comic Bunch magazine. While Dazai continues to be widely celebrated in Japan, he remains relatively unknown in the United States with only a handful of his novels available in English.
Dazai was an admirer of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, whom he ultimately emulated by commiting suicide. He had a turbulent career, one marked by attempted suicides, addictions, extramarital affairs, divorce, and even an arrest for involvement with the Communist Party.
The Dazai Osamu Prize for short fiction was established in 1965 to honor his work.
Works in the WWEnd Database
Non Series Works |
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