The novella that first propelled Dazai into the literary elite! The English translation has sold over 35,000 copies. Essentially the start of Dazai's career, Schoolgirl gained notoriety for its ironic and inventive use of language. Now it illuminates the prevalent social structures of a lost time, as well as the struggle of the individual against them - a theme that occupied Dazai's life both personally and professionally. This new translation preserves the playful language of the original and offers the reader a new window into the mind of one of the greatest Japanese authors of the 20th century.
"Concise enough to be read in one sitting, "Schoolgirl" combines Dazai's familiar themes of melancholy, alienation and despair with levity and humor, the contradictions of the teenage narrator's thoughts drawing us into a tale whose lightness and uncertainty are virtues." -- The Japan Times
"Dazai's writing is concise, and the evocative despair cuts like an X-Acto knife. The expressed sentiments are also universal enough that when Dazai is quoted out of context, his sentences read like depressive bromides." -- Dirt
"Narrated by the eponymous girl, the book is an unsung, prewar Japanese Catcher in the Rye" -- The Guardian
Osamu Dazai (1909--1948) is one of the most highly respected authors of modern Japan and is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in post-war Japanese literature. He was widely known by contemporaries for his eclectic lifestyle, inventive use of language, and his multiple suicide attempts, which led to his final, successful attempt in 1948. His two major novels, No Longer Human and The Setting Sun, continue to be widely read and leave a vibrant legacy for one of Japan's greatest writers. Allison Markin Powell is a literary translator and editor in New York City. She has worked in the editorial departments of American and Japanese book and magazine publishing. Her published translations include the manga series Eyeshield 21; the novel Only the Ring Finger Knows by Satoru Kannagi; and a biography of Hideki Matsui written by the novelist Shizuka Ijuin. She also edited the Japan issue of Words Without Borders.
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