Osamu Dazai is one of the most controversial writers in the Japanese literary world.
He is a typical representative of modern "mourning" culture,
His writings are tinged with pessimism and repressed decadence.
He spent his entire life committing suicide.
"Cowards are afraid of happiness, they get hurt when they touch cotton, and sometimes they are hurt by happiness."
In 1929, the 20-year-old Dazai committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills, but because the amount of medicine was insufficient, he simply fell into a coma. This was Osamu Dazai's first suicide attempt.
His brother, Riji, who was most close to him that year, died of sepsis. A few months ago, Osamu Dazai's idol, Ryunosuke Wasagawa, committed suicide by taking sleeping pills...
Osamu Dazai lived in a wealthy family, and his father was a senator, the leading landowner in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Dazai was the sixth child in the family, at that time Japan still maintained the primogeniture system, he was not valued by his father without inheritance qualifications, his mother was also extremely indifferent to him, his aristocratic status also limited his interaction with civilian children, and loneliness accompanied him throughout his childhood.
Growing up in this environment, Dazai became inferior, vulnerable, and sensitive, lowering his posture in the hope of gaining the respect of others, unable to refuse the kindness of others to him, as stated in his works
"The Ah Ye we know, with a frank personality, funny and humorous, if he is not an alcoholic, no, he is an alcoholic, he is also a good boy like an angel." 」
If it weren't for his two suicides, then Dazaiji would indeed be a good boy.
While studying at Tokyo Imperial University, he experienced suicide for the second time in his life. The second suicide experience is recorded in "Human Disqualification".
The book's protagonist, Ye Zang, meets the barmaid of the bar as much as he does. Both of them are disheartened by life and meet to jump into the sea together on the seashore in Kamakura. As a result, Dazai was rescued, but Metsuko Tabe, who committed suicide with him, was killed.
It was then that Dazai lived his whole life in a deep sense of guilt.
His life has also been unsatisfactory, and he has failed to run for the Wasagawa Award, which he highly values, three times;
At that time, he was just desperately trying to get closer to the admired Ryunosuke Wasagawa, but he was bent on becoming a writer like him.
He wrote to the judges:
"If I can get the Wasagawa Prize, I will be moved to tears by people's friendship." And I will lift my spirits, fight all suffering and overcome it. Please help me, don't make fun of me. ”
But the god of fate seems to be deliberately teasing him— the more you want it, the less you want it.
Dazaiji was so distraught that he ran to the mountain to hang himself, only to fail to commit suicide again because the rope was broken.
The fourth time Dazaiji committed suicide with his first wife, Koyama Hatshiro. The reason is that Dazaiji learned that Koyama had cheated on him, so the two committed suicide by taking sleeping pills together. As a result, this time it was because the dose was not enough, and neither of them died.
In the end, time came to the end of life,
"I thought I was going to die this winter, but I recently got a set of rat gray pinstriped hemp kimonos, which are suitable for summer, so I'll live until summer first."
June 13, 1948. At the age of 39, Osamu Dazai and his last lover, Yamazaki Tomiei, embraced each other and jumped into the 'Tamagawa Upper Water' and both drowned. Dazai still died that summer.
There is no doubt that Osamu Dazai was an extremely talented writer in the Japanese literary world, alongside Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, the three pinnacle figures of Japanese post-war literature. His words are sad and decadent, but by no means hopeless, or behind every word is the desire for happiness and the redemption of life.
Our lives may not be as good as they want, but our lives are always brilliant.
Thinking of the starry sky, thinking of everyone who has passed away.