Osamu Dazai

Osamu Dazai
太宰 治
Dazai in 1948
Born
Shūji Tsushima

(1909-06-19)June 19, 1909
DiedJune 13, 1948(1948-06-13) (aged 38)
Cause of deathDouble suicide with Tomie Yamazaki by drowning
EducationHirosaki Higher School
Tokyo Imperial University
Occupation(s)Novelist, short story writer
Notable work
MovementI-Novel, Buraiha
Japanese name
Kanji太宰 治
Hiraganaだざい おさむ
Transcriptions
RomanizationDazai Osamu

Shūji Tsushima (津島 修治, Tsushima Shūji; 19 June 1909 – 13 June 1948), known by his pen name Osamu Dazai (太宰 治, Dazai Osamu), was a Japanese novelist and author. A number of his most popular works, such as The Setting Sun (斜陽, Shayō) and No Longer Human (人間失格, Ningen Shikkaku), are considered modern classics.

His influences include Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Murasaki Shikibu and Fyodor Dostoevsky. His last book, No Longer Human, is his most popular work outside of Japan.

Another pseudonym he used was Shunpei Kuroki (黒木 舜平), for the book Illusion of the Cliffs (断崖の錯覚, Dangai no Sakkaku).