The Setting Sun

Osamu Dazai

ISBN 10: 4805318090 / ISBN 13: 9784805318096

Published by Tuttle Publishing, US, 2025

About this Item

"Dazai's best novel [.] focusing on a woman forced to deal with the consequences of heedless, Dazai-like behavior" -The New York TimesA completely new translation of one of Osamu Dazai's best-loved novels, by award-winning translator, Juliet Winters Carpenter.The Setting Sun tells the story of Kazuko, a strong-willed young woman from an aristocratic family that has fallen into poverty since the war. The book follows Kazuko's journey as she and her family struggle to adapt to the harsh new conditions of a Japan destroyed by American fire-bombings. In addition to having to move from the city to the countryside, where she has to work in the fields to support her family, she has to deal with a divorce, her mother's illness, and the return of her drug-addicted brother from the army.An inspiring portrait of one woman's determination to survive in a society in the grip of a social and moral crisis, this classic work will appeal to those with an interest in modern Japanese literature as well as to those familiar with Osamu Dazai from the popular manga and anime series Bungo Stray Dogs, where he is the lead character.

Seller Inventory # LU-9784805318096

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Setting Sun
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, US
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 4805318090
• ISBN 13: 9784805318096
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

"Dazai's best novel […] the story focuses on a woman forced to deal with the consequences of heedless, Dazai-like behavior" —The New York Times

This book is a completely new translation of Dazai's classic novel, considered by many to be his masterpiece. Set in the aftermath of World War II, the story opens as Kazuko and her mother flee the devastated capital to their country home. Once wealthy, they have now lost everything and Kazuko has to work in the fields while looking after her sick mother. She is also dealing with the stigma of a recent divorce and the trauma of giving birth to a stillborn child.

Things take a turn for the better when Kazuko's brother Naoji returns from the battlefields in the Pacific, but it soon transpires that he is addicted to opium. Kazuko finds solace in a love affair with a novelist, although he turns out to be an alcoholic and incapable of sustaining a relationship. When Kazuko falls pregnant, she vows to raise the child alone, and moves confidently forward, finally liberated from outdated notions of morality.

The works of Osamu Dazai (1909-1948) have seen a huge surge in popularity thanks to the success of the manga and film series BUNGO STRAY DOGS, whose protagonist is a detective named Osamu Dazai, closely based on the real-life author. Fans of the series have turned to the writings of the real Dazai, whose themes of alienation and the split between inner and outer appearances resonate strongly with young readers today and have inspired generations of modern Japanese authors.

About the Author

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