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hux 's review for:
The Setting Sun
by Osamu Dazai
The narrator, Kazuko, a 29-year-old woman who is recently divorced, is forced to live with her mother in the country as they have lost their previous home. She takes care of her mother as she is afflicted with various ailments but it seems clear that the end is in sight. As such, Kazuko is looking for a purpose, a reason to keep going, and, having dabbled with notions of Christianity and Marxism, has ultimately settled on the notion that she she is love with a married man she barely knows. They met only briefly and he was inappropriate with her but she, over estimating the significance of the encounter, has imbued the potential relationship with a profound aura of love. Meanwhile, her brother, Naoji, (who inadvertently introduced his sister to this man) has returned from the war with an opium and alcohol addiction. As the book comes to a climax, there is little in the shape of happiness to be had for either.
I enjoyed reading this a lot. There is a simplicity to Dazai's writing which elevates it to a level of disturbing intimacy. You're immediately naked with these characters, a witness to their inner shame and guilt. There is always a feeling that some residual sin has taken place, something salacious and defining. Dazai speaks of being between worlds, of morals and values, of one system of civilisation being replaced with another. He uses Kazuko (and Naoji) as vessels for exploring these changes. And, given the accusation of misogyny he often receives for No Longer Human, I think he does a pretty good job of fleshing out Kazuko as a woman with a genuine humanity, seeking a genuine desire for meaning.
It was short and sweet, and enjoyable to read. Dazai has a technique which gets to the point whilst simultaneously giving you food for thought. He takes the bleak and makes it very human.
I enjoyed reading this a lot. There is a simplicity to Dazai's writing which elevates it to a level of disturbing intimacy. You're immediately naked with these characters, a witness to their inner shame and guilt. There is always a feeling that some residual sin has taken place, something salacious and defining. Dazai speaks of being between worlds, of morals and values, of one system of civilisation being replaced with another. He uses Kazuko (and Naoji) as vessels for exploring these changes. And, given the accusation of misogyny he often receives for No Longer Human, I think he does a pretty good job of fleshing out Kazuko as a woman with a genuine humanity, seeking a genuine desire for meaning.
It was short and sweet, and enjoyable to read. Dazai has a technique which gets to the point whilst simultaneously giving you food for thought. He takes the bleak and makes it very human.