For several reasons, I had a difficult time finishing this novel, which manages to explore difficult themes such as mental illness, addiction, suicide, and alienation. Although a work of fiction, it is clearly a semi-autobiographical glimpse into one of the most tortured and brilliant minds to have ever existed. No Longer Human is considered the author’s masterpiece and ranks as the second highest selling novel in Japan. This tragedy marks the end of a lifelong battle with depression, during a time and in a society where proper help could not be found. An investigation into the deaths led to the speculation that moments before his death, Dazai felt an obsession with life. Their bodies would not be discovered until six days later, which would mark the author’s 39th birthday. On June 13, 1948, Japanese author Osamu Dazai and his lover Tomie committed suicide by drowning themselves in the rain-swollen Tamagawa Canal near his house.
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