The other side of Osamu Dazai

In recent years, Chinese translations of Japanese Bunho have sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain, with new publications constantly being published. He studied with the manager of the bookstore why this phenomenon happened. He said that it was probably because the author passed away more than 50 years ago. If there is no foundation, trust organization, memorial hall, etc. to maintain the copyright, it will "go out to the open sea", that is, free publishing. The publishing house knows that the demand for this type of subject matter is high, and the cost has dropped, so they all publish "own editions".

It may be good news for ordinary readers, but it is a big headache for book fans like me who seek "one system" (that is, the same publisher, unified cover design). As a result, none of the works of great Japanese writers, such as Soseki Natsume, Osamu Dazai, Junichiro Tanizaki, and Ogai Mori, were bought. As for Akutagawa Ryunosuke, I was lucky enough to buy a 5-book set at half price.

Recently, Mr. Yang Zhao published a new work, talking about the works of Osamu Dazai and Yukio Mishima, so I asked for Osamu Dazai's works to read. However, what I chose to read was not "Disqualification in the World", "Setting Sun", "Oga Papyrus", etc., but "Osamu Dazai's Life Notes".

I don't like Osamu Dazai because he keeps committing suicide. Even if you die by yourself, you have to have the girls "in the heart" (しんじゅう, meaning sacrifice in Japanese) (except for the first suicide, because of one's own life experience), but the girl died but he couldn't die. He is known as a "rogue" writer, and most of his works are "private novels", that is, telling his own stories [Note 1]. "Disqualification in the World" can be said to be his "famous work"; and his sentence "I am a human being, I am sorry" is the golden sentence in the golden sentence.

Later, when reading another book, I found that he greatly admired Izumi Kyoka and Akutagawa Ryunosuke, especially Akutagawa Ryunosuke. When "Benyi Chunqiu" established the Akutagawa Awards after Akutagawa's death, and when he learned that his work "The Kindness of the Clown" was shortlisted for the final judging, he was very excited and eager to become the first Akutagawa Award winner. However, Yasunari Kawabata, one of the jury members, objected to his winning the award, saying, "This does not look like a work written by an author who lives a decent life." Raising birds and looking at Butoh is called a "decent life".

However, Mr. Dong Qizhang has a different view on Dazai Osamu in "The Hedgehog Reading":

...that is to say, Osamu Dazai turned himself into a landscape, a character, to observe, appreciate, and present. He sees his life in an impersonal way. On the verge of being insane, on the verge of suicide, to be able to be so objective, calm, and even humorous, to describe himself with distance and self-deprecating literary techniques is indeed an extraordinary and inhuman strength. (page 179)

In "Notes on Dazai Osamu's Life", I seem to see the Dazai Osamu mentioned by Dong Sheng. This book collects Osamu Dazai's articles and short essays in different media, and categorizes them under three titles: "About Life", "About Literature", and "About Me". For example, "About Life", there is this text:

We do know that so-called anxiety can be divided into black and white. There is a sentence in the Song of the Waves: "Wait for tomorrow to welcome my treasure ship." Also, Pushkin's verse says: "I will be killed by tomorrow." Is it possible to have two thoughts at the same time? After thinking about it for a long time, I was sure that it would exist as clearly as black and white.
"Literature Magazine" January 11th Showa (page 29)

… We are not looking for excuses everywhere and blaming society for all our sins, we also want to affirm the world and affirm the original appearance of the world frankly. But everyone is so servile, everyone is opportunistic, everyone is just trying very carefully. But we definitely don't think it's a conclusive stain, not at all. 
"Tokyo Asahi Shimbun" Showa fifteen years in June (page 52)

Another example is "About Literature":

It is a good thing to be capricious for the sake of literature.
But if it is even the willfulness of twenty or thirty yuan in line with social expectations, it can't be done, let alone literature.
"Tokyo Nikki Shimbun" December 10th Showa (page 71)

Another example is "About Me":

...I may not be a kind doctor, I never say my works are masterpieces or bad, because I know they are neither masterpieces nor bad, maybe not bad, but so far I have It is a fact that a masterpiece has not been written yet. A while ago, I was chatting with a senior, and I talked about why I should not spit out the thoughts that I have accumulated in my chest, and at least write a work that I can accept? But why am I still wandering around like a mouse if I'm confident I can do it. Why can't I walk in the streets of Ginza, in front of the council hall, and on the campus of Imperial University in a wealthy and happy state? It means that I can't do it now. Listening to my remarks, this senior said lightly: "So it is, when someone asks what your masterpiece is, you can cautiously answer that it is "The Cherry Orchard", "Three Sisters" and the like. Works, that's great."
"Imperial University Shimbun" May, Showa 14 (pages 122, 123)

If I hadn't told you at first that these ideas came from Osamu Dazai, you might have thought it was some other writer. It can be seen that Osamu Dazai is not living a strange life as everyone thinks.

In the book, you can also see the humorous side of Dazai Osamu. For example, when he was invited to write a manuscript, he directly wrote how many manuscript papers I was invited to write, and at the end of the article, he wrote that I would go back to write a novel. Readers will be amused when they read it, but I don't know how magazine/newspaper editors think about it, whether they will laugh or cry. There is also a kind of self-deprecation. After reading it, I am a little bit squeamish:

My face seems to have grown bigger recently. It was not small at first, but it has become bigger in a while. People say that a beautiful man should have a small and delicate face. I think there should be no examples to prove that there is a beautiful man with a big face. It is difficult to imagine. 
"Bolangsha" Showa 16 June (page 136)

After reading this book, I changed my opinion of Osamu Dazai, just a little bit; on the other hand, after reading the book of Mr. Yang Zhao, I began to understand the meaning of his "Disqualification in the World" and why he lived like a rogue , have the opportunity to share.

As for whether to start reading his work? Look at fate.

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[Note 1]: According to Teacher Yang Zhao's statement in "The Pursuit of Ultimate Youth: Yang Zhao Talks About Yukio Mishima":

... "Private Fiction"... Staring at and exposing the dark and unbearable parts of oneself, believing that a person is determined by dark, unbearable desires and behaviors that are not allowed by external social norms. The part that conforms to social norms, like everyone, is collective, and only where the collective rules are violated can there be true "private", private self, true self.

"Osamu Dazai's Life Notes" (from blog)—
https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010641178