A Shameful Life: Ningen Shikkaku or No Longer Human

by Osamu Dazai

"A Shameful Life" (also translated as No Longer Human or Ningen Shikkaku) is a semi-autobiographical novel by Japanese author Dazai Osamu, published in 1948. The story follows the troubled life of Ōba Yōzō, a man who feels deeply alienated from society and struggles with a sense of worthlessness.

Through a series of notebooks, Ōba narrates his life marked by trauma, addiction, and failed relationships. He hides behind a mask of humor and charm, while internally grappling with depression, isolation, and shame. The novel explores themes of existential despair, identity, and the conflict between public appearance and private anguish.

Often considered one of Dazai's masterpieces, A Shameful Life reflects the author's personal struggles with mental illness and addiction, making it both haunting and deeply introspective.

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2024

About the author

Osamu DAZAI (native name: 太宰治, real name Shūji Tsushima) was a Japanese author who is considered one of the foremost fiction writers of 20th-century Japan. A number of his most popular works, such as Shayō (The Setting Sun) and Ningen Shikkaku (No Longer Human), are considered modern-day classics in Japan.
With a semi-autobiographical style and transparency into his personal life, Dazai’s stories have intrigued the minds of many readers. His books also bring about awareness to a number of important topics such as human nature, mental illness, social relationships, and postwar Japan.