No Longer Human

Osamu Dazai's "No Longer Human" is a masterpiece of Japanese literature and a cult book. It became a bestseller through film adaptations and as a manga by the famous artist Junji Itō, turning both the author and his protagonist Yōzō into icons.

Yōzō longs for a sense of belonging and his own place in the world. Since childhood, he has felt like an outsider; only as the family clown does he receive attention. Thus, he transforms from a notorious jester into a sarcastic intellectual. In a delicate blend of irony and vulnerability, he reveals his desires, weaknesses, and yearnings. The deeper he sinks into despair, the sharper his insight into the human quest for meaning becomes.

Full of wit and sarcasm, Osamu Dazai illuminates the fragility of human existence in "No Longer Human" and narratively unfolds the power of resistant thinking.