Dazai mania has hit the UK! The dark and twisted world of Japan's literary legend is captivating a new generation of readers in a way he never could have imagined. It's been over seven decades since his tragic death at just 38, but Osamu Dazai's intense and introspective novels are now selling like hotcakes – a staggering 75,000 copies of No Longer Human alone have been snapped up in the UK.
Born into wealth and privilege, Dazai's life was marked by mental illness, addiction, and multiple attempts to escape his demons. His translator Donald Keene described it as a "life of wild dissipation," but one that also produced some of the most brilliant – if bleak – literature of the 20th century.
Until recently, Dazai's works were mostly imported from the US, but Penguin Classics has just released the first UK edition in almost 70 years: Schoolgirl, a collection of short stories translated by Polly Barton. She notes that while he may be new to English-speaking audiences, Dazai is considered one of Japan's "big three" literary giants – and his influence shows no signs of waning.
The anime TV series Bungo Stray Dogs has been a key player in Dazai's resurgence, with its swashbuckling adaptation of the author sparking a love affair with his work among young fans. Chris Wait at New Directions confirmed that sales skyrocketed after the show's US release in 2018 – from dozens or hundreds annually to a whopping 150,000 copies.
So what's behind Dazai's enduring appeal? His writing may be bleak and nihilistic, but it speaks to young readers on a deep level. Polly Barton highlights his particular popularity among young men, who are often seen as less engaged with reading – but Dazai's raw emotional power and intellectual depth have won them over. As she puts it, his writing is an "unashamed emotional quality, tempered with enormous intelligence" that lets readers see themselves in the author's darkest expressions of despair and alienation.
It may be 70 years too late for Dazai to experience the acclaim he deserves in his lifetime, but it seems his words are finally finding their moment – and they're speaking louder than ever before.