Comparative Literatures and Cultures Society
- Comp Lit Book Club: No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai! Clifton Community Bookshop Friday 28-11-2025 - 18:00 until Friday 28-11-2025 - 20:00
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Comp Lit Book Club: No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai!
Welcome to the Comp Lit Book Club!
Join us on Friday November 28th from 6-8pm at the Clifton Community Bookshop for a cozy evening sharing thoughts provoked by our November Read: No Longer Human (1948) by Osamu Dazai, translated from Japanese by Donald Keene!
Whether you’ve only read one chapter or read the whole book, we would love to know what you thought, what you learned about Japanese culture, and what wider discussions we can have about our world and how we exist! Be prepared to get philosophical...
Feel free to join as afterwards for a pint in the Lansdown Pub next door!
Tickets are free for members and £1 for non-members :)
We will open voting for our Winter read on November 26th and will announce the winner at the Book Club so get brainstorming!! We aim to choose translated books from different countries every month, each around 150 pages to make them easy to read during term time!
If you want to choose our next read, be sure to join our society WhatsApp Community here and join the book club channel to send in your recommendations!! To vote, please buy a £2 society membership here! This also gives you free access to the rest of our book club events! The money will go towards putting on more and better events for you all.
Can’t make the final Book Club session but still want to join in? Can’t wait until then to share your thoughts? Join our book club on Fable here! They have dedicated spaces organised by chapter (or short story!) to comment on what you’re reading, meaning you can discuss spoilers whilst keeping it spoiler-free for others!
Accessibility info: Venue is on the ground floor but the unisex toilets are up a few steps!
We can't wait to see you there!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Semi-autobiographical, No Longer Human (1948) is the final completed work of one of Japan's most important writers, Osamu Dazai.
The poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo's attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a "clown" to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Osamu Dazai (太宰 治), born Shūji Tsushima (津島 修治) in 1909, was one of Japan's most influential and controversial writers of the 20th century. His brutally honest, often autobiographical works captured the turmoil of post-war Japan and continue to resonate with readers today. Dazai's life was marked by repeated suicide attempts, struggles with addiction, and a sense of profound alienation that permeated his writing. Despite his troubled existence, or perhaps because of it, Dazai produced some of the most poignant and enduring literature in modern Japanese history. His works like "No Longer Human" and "The Setting Sun" are considered classics that offer deep insights into the human condition.
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR
Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature. Keene was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University, where he taught for over fifty years. Soon after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, he retired from Columbia, moved to Japan permanently, and acquired citizenship under the name Kīn Donarudo (キーン ドナルド)
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @complitbristol and join our WhatsApp community to keep updated with all our shenanigans!
Lots of love,
Cece, Yen, Alfred, Malachi, and Vi x
Venue/Timing
Venue : Clifton Community Bookshop
Type: Alcohol Free Events, Society Events
Start Date: Friday 28-11-2025 - 18:00
End date: Friday 28-11-2025 - 20:00
Capacity: 30
Contact Details
complitbristol@gmail.com
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