Tokyo Ebisu Book Club – No longer human by Osamu Dazai

Read the book (or most of It)
Order a drink/food at the counter
Enjoy discussing with your fellow book-lovers!
We split into groups for the discussion.
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May’s book is:** No longer human by Osamu Dazai
(See Note at end if ordering on Amazon Japan)
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What does it mean to live among others—and feel, at every moment, that you do not belong?

No Longer Human is one of the most haunting and intimate novels of modern Japanese literature. Written by Osamu Dazai, one of Japan’s most influential twentieth-century writers, this book takes the form of a confession: the life story of a man who survives by wearing masks, performing for others, and hiding a terror he cannot name.
Through a series of notebooks, the narrator recounts his childhood, his relationships, his descent into addiction, and his growing conviction that he is fundamentally unfit to live as a human being. The result is not a melodrama, but a cold, precise, and unsettling self-portrait—at times darkly comic, at times mercilessly honest.
First published in 1948, No Longer Human has become one of the best-known and most widely read novels in Japan, and is often considered Dazai’s masterpiece. Its influence can be felt across modern literature, particularly in works that explore alienation, shame, and the fear of being seen for who one truly is.
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Directions can be found at bottom of www.footnik.com

Ordering on Amazon Japan: There are a few English versions available. Some appear to ship much later than the others. At time of writing, this “bitly” link should take you directly to an “In Stock” faster-delivery one. https://bit.ly/4uvtnNa
(There may be others available but do keep an eye on the actual delivery date, not just the “will ship in X days”.)