No Longer Human
- Downloads：4170
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-21 00:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Osamu Dazai
- ISBN：0811204812
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Wahyu Firmansyah
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Self-aware of Osamu Dazai was horrifying。 He was find out something wrong about himself at his childhood age， but at that time no one know how to deal with the problem。 Faith maybe the only things can help him， but he doesn't have one and the people who close to him have the same problem and end up being drunk with him or make things worse， even lead him to suicidal。Reading all of his pain and suffering trough time makes me wonder how he still manage to write this 'biographic' novel。 Sure this i Self-aware of Osamu Dazai was horrifying。 He was find out something wrong about himself at his childhood age， but at that time no one know how to deal with the problem。 Faith maybe the only things can help him， but he doesn't have one and the people who close to him have the same problem and end up being drunk with him or make things worse， even lead him to suicidal。Reading all of his pain and suffering trough time makes me wonder how he still manage to write this 'biographic' novel。 Sure this is the last book he ever written， we talking about disgrace right？ no one ever want to reveal their sin， especially when they pretty much alive。As a person who marked as no longer human， nothing more human than his words and thoughts。 。。。more
cauliflower broccoli banana spinach
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I don't know what to say。 I can't tell whether this book was a masterpiece， or if it was directionless， plotless， and meandering。 It deeply impacted me， but at the same time I'm not sure whether it deserves the 5 star rating I'm giving it。 I suppose that simply because of the intensity of emotions springing inside me， it deserves to be rated well。 But I feel as if it is the kind of book that you can't possibly rate， that rating it any amount of stars is meaningless。 I don't know。 I feel I can't I don't know what to say。 I can't tell whether this book was a masterpiece， or if it was directionless， plotless， and meandering。 It deeply impacted me， but at the same time I'm not sure whether it deserves the 5 star rating I'm giving it。 I suppose that simply because of the intensity of emotions springing inside me， it deserves to be rated well。 But I feel as if it is the kind of book that you can't possibly rate， that rating it any amount of stars is meaningless。 I don't know。 I feel I can't possibly separate this book from its author。 I've read other books that have themes of depression， but none have seemed as clear， brutal， and honest as this one。 The author's voice shines through。 I don't really know what I'm saying。 I've been rendered speechless。 I was only going to read the first couple pages and then turn to something else， but the book seemed to sprout hooks that sunk into my skin and snagged me。 I couldn't put it down。 I read it in 1 sitting， the length a seemingly measy 100 or so pages， but the entire novel， start to finish， was like a blunt blow to the head， or a feverish nightmare。 Though my situation is like nothing， a speck of dust， to the one described by Osamu Dazai， so many times in the novel I felt， "Oh。 I feel like that too sometimes。" Helpless anxiety， terrible， lonely alienation， debilitating humiliation， inexplicable fear。 But only at times and not constantly。 It must be horrible to feel such a way 24/7。 Even feeling like that for a moment is awful。 I guess I still don't know what I'm saying - I'm still reeling in shock from the blow the book dealt me。 I do know that if you're reading this review without having read the book， that you should go read it。 （Except if you'll be triggered by the contents。 Take care of your health。） No matter what kind of person you are or what sort of reason you're reading the book， it'll make you feel many things。 I guarantee it。 。。。more
Sherry Phan
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idk maybe i'm too dumb to understand this idk maybe i'm too dumb to understand this 。。。more
Aida
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it's definitely different from everything else i have read。 it's very very interesting。 the only problem i've got with it is the complex writing style， which， since it was written almost a century ago， is understandable。 it's very poetic at times， and it was a difficult read， partly because of the content but primarily due to the writing。 overall， it was a great read， it really gave me an understanding of the japanese societal values and behaviors in the 30s。 and it was fascinating the way osamu it's definitely different from everything else i have read。 it's very very interesting。 the only problem i've got with it is the complex writing style， which， since it was written almost a century ago， is understandable。 it's very poetic at times， and it was a difficult read， partly because of the content but primarily due to the writing。 overall， it was a great read， it really gave me an understanding of the japanese societal values and behaviors in the 30s。 and it was fascinating the way osamu dazai viewed life and things and people around him。 he captured human nature and human emotion so well。 i would definitely have to re-read this book once i'm more familiar with 'classics' and when my english is more developed than now。 。。。more
Maryam Rahman
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This book will kill you， it’s so wonderfully destructive。
Kai Corrigan
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A well articulated book which fully captures the protagonist's suffering for what it was。 There are several hints throughout the book hinting towards a more autobiographical theme， many events that occur stemming from Dazai's life experiences。 Due to this i wouldn't reccomend as a starting book for people who are looking to begin reading this style of novel。 However， I would gladly forward this to more frequent readers。 Overall， it displays many reasons of why it's a brilliant book and was worth A well articulated book which fully captures the protagonist's suffering for what it was。 There are several hints throughout the book hinting towards a more autobiographical theme， many events that occur stemming from Dazai's life experiences。 Due to this i wouldn't reccomend as a starting book for people who are looking to begin reading this style of novel。 However， I would gladly forward this to more frequent readers。 Overall， it displays many reasons of why it's a brilliant book and was worth every moment of the time spent reading it。 。。。more
Pablo Romero
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Hay muchas cosas a resaltar en este libro， pero creo que la más resaltable es que pese a la dureza y realismo que se expone en sus páginas uno no puede apartar la vista de estas。
Nadia :）
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3。5
Ben Leasor
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As an angst ridden "mIsUnDErStOOd" teenager I might have loved this book。 A memoir detailing a painful existence on the outside of society。 What's not to like？The protagonist for a start。 Other books have used obnoxiously and deliberately "different" leads。 The characterisation of Harry Haller was similarly unsubtle and he even came with the "Steppenwolf" nickname。 But at least he was fairly likeable and consistent。 Here we find a protagonist who is despicable， lazy， weak and inconsistent。Novels As an angst ridden "mIsUnDErStOOd" teenager I might have loved this book。 A memoir detailing a painful existence on the outside of society。 What's not to like？The protagonist for a start。 Other books have used obnoxiously and deliberately "different" leads。 The characterisation of Harry Haller was similarly unsubtle and he even came with the "Steppenwolf" nickname。 But at least he was fairly likeable and consistent。 Here we find a protagonist who is despicable， lazy， weak and inconsistent。Novels about outsiders will always have a crucial place on our shelves。 I am just not sure I could recommend this one over the likes of Madonna in a Fur Coat， Steppenwolf， The sorrows of Young Werther， Ham on Rye。 There are many more subtle options that I would sooner point towards。 。。。more
xanthebirch
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would be five if he wasn’t such a misogynist
Wardatur Rochmah
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The rating isn't based on the quality of its content， but how I personally feel after reading this book。 I just can't stand the emotional turbuleonce within myself since I tend to avoid any heart-wrenching nor triggering story （well， I just hate how I can't get over the feeling of trapped in a disturbing story） The rating isn't based on the quality of its content， but how I personally feel after reading this book。 I just can't stand the emotional turbuleonce within myself since I tend to avoid any heart-wrenching nor triggering story （well， I just hate how I can't get over the feeling of trapped in a disturbing story） 。。。more
coochlord
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terrifying。 don't read this unless your mental state is really solid。 it's really disturbing how eloquently and well spoken these horrendous emotions are put to words。 as a piece of fiction， it's terrifying enough， but knowing that many of these experiences are akin to those of his life is deeply unsettling。 terrifying。 don't read this unless your mental state is really solid。 it's really disturbing how eloquently and well spoken these horrendous emotions are put to words。 as a piece of fiction， it's terrifying enough， but knowing that many of these experiences are akin to those of his life is deeply unsettling。 。。。more
Ran Chen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 gonna use the excuse "me too young" to justify that i did not comprehend very well gonna use the excuse "me too young" to justify that i did not comprehend very well 。。。more
Alana
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Honnêtement le livre était bien et c’était intéressant de voir la vision du personnage/de l’auteur sur la condition humaine Qu’on se le dise on peut tous se retrouver dans son raisonnement et être d’accord a un moment ou un autreLa dernière phrase m’a donné envie de me jeter par ma fenêtre par contre
Malak Souama
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There are many burdens this book allows you to experience。 But one in particular that stands uniquely。 It's depressing。 Through Yozo who experiences little to no feelings， I experienced nothing to little feelings in his regard。 He is very annoying。 However， while he describes himself as "not human"'， I developed new trust issues。 Are there many people like him？ Thinking of blending in but excruciatingly hurting the feelings of those who are trying to actually live？ Are men yozo？ Watching their w There are many burdens this book allows you to experience。 But one in particular that stands uniquely。 It's depressing。 Through Yozo who experiences little to no feelings， I experienced nothing to little feelings in his regard。 He is very annoying。 However， while he describes himself as "not human"'， I developed new trust issues。 Are there many people like him？ Thinking of blending in but excruciatingly hurting the feelings of those who are trying to actually live？ Are men yozo？ Watching their women violated and calling her a sinner？ Do they hate women yet still seek them and blame them？ Is this just annoying and I should put it down？ Did yozo lie to himself or did he really lead such a burdening life？ 。。。more
Lauro Martinez Lombard
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Agonizingly beautiful。 Hard to read， harder to put down。 This book is a bullet to the soul。 One must be prepared for discomfort before deciding to read。 Powerful insight into the mind of an extremely depressed man。 As with most authors， I recommend researching Dazai's life-story prior to reading。 Agonizingly beautiful。 Hard to read， harder to put down。 This book is a bullet to the soul。 One must be prepared for discomfort before deciding to read。 Powerful insight into the mind of an extremely depressed man。 As with most authors， I recommend researching Dazai's life-story prior to reading。 。。。more
Kt
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Review to come
iva
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oh god。 i enjoyed this book a lot， even tho yozo is very annoying at times。 that definitely makes him human LOL
Salma Deyab
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I just kept staring at the last page for 15 minutes （and maybe cried a little）P。 S。 Please don't read this。。 Wouldn't recommend it to anyone I just kept staring at the last page for 15 minutes （and maybe cried a little）P。 S。 Please don't read this。。 Wouldn't recommend it to anyone 。。。more
Julieta
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MEH
Rey
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Wow
s。penkevich
，
‘I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live a life of a human being，’ writes the Yozo， the narrator of Osamu Dazai’s partly autobiographical novel No Longer Human。 But what is it to be human in the first place and in a society that finds success at the expense of others， have we let the wolves in human clothing dictate the definition for us？ Is being human simply the degradations and deceits self-justified by society， sidelining anyone that gets in the way of social climbers who manipulat ‘I can’t even guess myself what it must be to live a life of a human being，’ writes the Yozo， the narrator of Osamu Dazai’s partly autobiographical novel No Longer Human。 But what is it to be human in the first place and in a society that finds success at the expense of others， have we let the wolves in human clothing dictate the definition for us？ Is being human simply the degradations and deceits self-justified by society， sidelining anyone that gets in the way of social climbers who manipulate this social compass as best befitting their hierarchical lusts？ The novel， framed as a collection of journals gifted to an overarching narrator， follow the life of self-proclaimed social outcast Yozo from his childhood being a class clown to cover up for his fears and overwhelming imposter syndrome， to a wreckless adulthood of alcoholism and apathy as his world collapses around him。 Yet for a novel of being a social outcast， we find this book to be almost unbearably human， and if it is painfully dark it is only because it tears apart the veil of fictions we delude ourselves with to not acknowledge the depths of depravity inherent in reality。 Both empathetic yet cowardly and despicable， Yozo is an tormented artist who both stumbles and is pulled downward in a world to slake the thirsts of those who crave the downfalls of others to feel better about oneself。 With dark franticness and insights that recall Hamsun's Hunger and Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground， Osamu Dazai has created a powerful look at humanity and society that will leave you trembling and agonizing over the sad fate of Yozo。‘People talk of social outcasts。 The words apparently denote the miserable losers of the world， the vicious ones， but I feel as though I have been a "social outcast" from the moment I was born。 If I ever met someone society has designated as an outcast， I invariably feel affection for him， an emotion which carries me away in melting tenderness。’In all of Yozo’s apprehensions， anxieties and absence of trust in others （‘I have always shook with fright before human beings。’） there is something very real and easily empathetic。 In his youth， all those around him viewed him as a confident comedian， unshakable and affable but through his words we see just the opposite is true inside。 ‘As long as I can make them laugh，’ Yozo writes， ‘I’ll be alright。’ It is a reminder that those who are smiling are not always happy， and that depression can lurk even in the most pleasant of people。 The suicides or early deaths of despair within circles of comedians and entertainers， for instance， frequently came to mind while reading No Longer Human。 It also kept bringing a favorite song to mind: That’s Just The Way That I Feel by Purple Mountains （fronted by the amazing poet David Berman， rest in peace buddy）。 When this album first dropped I listened to this song every single day while walking to work。 It was dark， yet darkly funny （c’mon， ‘I spent a decade playing chicken with oblivion’ is a PERFECT line and could also very well be said of Yozo） and sort of soothed the bad vibes I was living through at the time。 When Berman decided it was time to depart this world a few months later， relistening to this song it slapped me in the face how present this impending end was all over the lyrics。 He said it out loud， but it was only in retrospect how blatant it was。 Knowing that Osamu Dazai would throw himself into the ocean in a double suicide not long after completing this novel， there is a certain ominous shadow cast over all the talk and acts of suicide that take place within the book。 But like David Berman’s song， I found this book to be darkly funny and oddly comforting at the beginning， poking fun at those with their fake smuggery and feeling quite understood about many anxieties or distastes for society。 It’s hard not to get a chuckle at scenes such as when he joins the student communist group and is annoyed at all their lectures because he insists just basic math is all you’d need to know that capitalism was bad。 I also certainly identified with his ‘desire to please born from my desperate mania for service，’ which reminds me why I thrive in customer service jobs like libraries and bartending: what Jean-Paul Sartre referred to as bad faith in his example of being a waiter can sometimes be a fun playacting to assuage imposter syndrome and annul your anxieties in order to make it through the work day。 Yet the idealized， playacted self can never truly replace the real self， and the dissonance between the two will slowly eat away at you， day by day， fake smile by fake smile。‘For someone like myself in whom the ability to trust others is so cracked and broken that I am wretchedly timid and am forever trying to read the expression on people's faces。’‘I find it difficult to understand the kind of human being who lives…。purely， happily， serenely while engaged in deceit，’ he says， which sums up so much of his character。 Yozo believes we are all self-deluding and that perhaps he is the only one honest enough with himself and society to truly grasp it。 When questioning if he is capable of actual love he writes that he ‘should add that I have very strong doubts as to whether even human beings possess this faculty。’ Yozo is a rather passive person， and while he is able to live in character as his idealized self during his youth， the cracks between the real and the ideal begin to form in adulthood。 This is only furthered through substance abuse and that his ‘last quest for love I was to direct at human beings，’ opens him up to pains that even drink and drugs cannot mask。 ‘What， I wondered， did he mean by “society”？ The plural of human beings？ Where was the substance of this thing called “society”？’As Yozo more and more feels himself as an outcast， he begins to question exactly what it is that divides human society from those no longer human such as himself。 Set in a post-war Japan， much of Dazai’s book critiques the modernization of Japanese society in the mid to late 1940s and what Yozo fears is becoming less an actual collective society for common good but one that is a society of the individual。 ‘What is society but an individual？’ he asks， baffled by those who pretend it is anything but。 Society， it seems， is only those who are productive and valuable for profits of others， but even here there is a hierarchy， much like Sayaka Murata’s modern critique on Japanese society in Convenience Store Woman examines how one can be an outcast even when being a high performer at their job simply because their job is not deemed valuable enough by society （the ironies of the pandemic lockdowns and the “essential workers” remaining at work were often low-wage grocery and other retail workers）。 Production and use-value are all that seem to be valued， and his idea of beautiful art for the sake of beauty is corrupted into making vulgar cartoons simply because they sell （and the profits can be used to consume more alcohol）。 Yozo views this shift in society as isolating people from one another， and even in his make-shift family with Shizuko and her daughter he cannot seem to believe they mesh as a ‘true’ family but merely he is an individual near them。 In his failure to be a father figure， he has also failed to live up to the duties of a patriarchal society （and Yozo’s struggles with his own father may be Dazai’s criticisms of a patriarchal government as well）。‘Human beings。。。speak of duty to one’s country and suchlike things， but the object of their efforts is invariably the individual， and， even once the individual’s needs have been met， again the individual comes in。 The incomprehensibility of society is the incomprehensibility of the individual。’This rather bleak portrait of the masks we wear in society does unfortunately also have a very gendered hierarchy that Yozo participates in。 Much of the commentary on women is very problematic， and likely reflective of time and society。 It is also here we start to see the weakness and cruelties in Yozo that he hides behind his affable nature and often ignores in his own scathing self-assessments。 When his own wife is sexually assaulted， he criticizes her for becoming too timid and is more concerned that she might have been unfaithful to him elsewhere than actually worrying about her own emotional state and helping her。 He leaves her， the asshole， and becomes the very thing he despises about a world that lets others collapse under the weight of a violent and selfish humanity。 It becomes painful to watch his decline into the despicable， but perhaps Dazai is asking us should we not pity and aid even the most wretched？ If not， are we any better than the evil people we criticize？‘The “world，” after all， was still a place of bottomless horror。’This is certainly not a book for the faint of heart and really probes into the depths of humanity to directly into the darkest corners。 ‘The one thing I must avoid is becoming offensive in their eyes，’ Yozo says， and we watch as he falters and falls into being that very thing。 Yet this remains more a criticism of the postmodern world， of a society of the individual， and of a world that values profit over people and creates the snares to make others fall。 A bleak yet oddly beautiful book。4。5/5‘After being hurt by the world so much， they began to see the demons within humans。 So without hiding it through trickery， they worked to express it。’ 。。。more
letizia
，
no longer human gives light to mental struggles such as dissociation， hyperawareness of self， social anxiety， and sexual abuse， as well as experiences as poverty， addiction， and suicide。 dazai's blunt writing style， without sentiment or nostalgia， distances it from the tone of an actual autobiography。 the novel is truly timeless， the struggle of the individual to fit into a normalizing society remains just as relevant today as it was at the time of writing。 no longer human gives light to mental struggles such as dissociation， hyperawareness of self， social anxiety， and sexual abuse， as well as experiences as poverty， addiction， and suicide。 dazai's blunt writing style， without sentiment or nostalgia， distances it from the tone of an actual autobiography。 the novel is truly timeless， the struggle of the individual to fit into a normalizing society remains just as relevant today as it was at the time of writing。 。。。more
peterabbit
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would actually give this a 3。5/5
xelsoi
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Esta novela deberían pasarla en los cursos de psicología porque es un retrato de manual para el comportamiento de alguien deprimido。 Me costó mucho conectar con la historia， porque la maquinaria mental de su protagonista me era demasiado ajena; sí me recordó a muchas personas que han pasado por mi vida， tan tristes pero a la vez tan seguras de que ellas y solo ellas tienen la razón。Citaré a Mariana Enríquez: "La gente triste no tiene piedad"。 Esta novela deberían pasarla en los cursos de psicología porque es un retrato de manual para el comportamiento de alguien deprimido。 Me costó mucho conectar con la historia， porque la maquinaria mental de su protagonista me era demasiado ajena; sí me recordó a muchas personas que han pasado por mi vida， tan tristes pero a la vez tan seguras de que ellas y solo ellas tienen la razón。Citaré a Mariana Enríquez: "La gente triste no tiene piedad"。 。。。more
OsamuDazai
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Very interesting read。 At times hard to get through。 I wish I knew what happened to Yozo afterwards。
Annie Vk
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Lost interest， personally thought Junji Ito's adaptation of it was better to read。 Lost interest， personally thought Junji Ito's adaptation of it was better to read。 。。。more
Emma
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Personajes de dudosa moralidad odiando a la sociedad por su indiscutible depresión， son los más interesantes y con los que más se aprende。Explica el camino de vida de alguien con una obvia enfermedad mental （depresión） no diagnosticada de forma cruda， lenta y dolorosa， tal como lo es en la vida real。
charley
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no review， just thoughts that i need to sit with for the next few days
Lucyˎˊ˗
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