The Setting Sun

New Directions Book

De: Osamu Dazai

Narrado por: June Angela

This powerful novel of a nation in social and moral crisis was first published by New Directions in 1956 - and now, for the first time, is available in audio, with the spellbinding narration of June Angela.

Set in the early postwar years, it probes the destructive effects of war and the transition from a feudal Japan to an industrial society. Ozamu Dazai died, a suicide, in 1948. But the influence of his book has made "people of the setting sun" a permanent part of the Japanese language, and his heroine, Kazuko, a young aristocrat who deliberately abandons her class, a symbol of the anomie which pervades so much of the modern world.

©1956 New Directions Publishing Corp. (P)2020 New Directions Publishing Corp.

All good!

Loving the app very useful however leaving a review constantly not ideal. Looking forward to my next read!

Better tragedy than Shakespeare

I am not a fan of Japanese literature simply because it is Japanese. I am a fan of good literature. This is good literature. Please set aside time to read it. The narrator is very good and easy to listen to. The story is excellent.

a worthwhile read in every sense.

Dazai Osamu truly writes characters in a mesmerizing way, and June narrated this book perfectly.

i really enjoyed this

tbh i started this because of bungo stray dogs, but i stuck around for the good story. it’s not a happy one, and there are times where i questioned the purpose of the book. but as i reached the end, i felt for the main character, and i almost wish there was more to read

Another great work by Osamu Dazai!

This was a very moving story with excellent use of symbolism and imagery. As in most of his books, I felt a profound sadness at his writing, but it’s a beautiful thing too. Dazai will always be one of my favorite authors because he writes from the heart.

A Tragic/Difficult Story

I brought this model into a class I teach, hoping to educate my students on aspects of Japanese culture through their literature. While they did learn and engage, certain topics in the novel created issues. Suicide is an important subject to acknowledge, but it seemed to be a difficult aspect to examine. The author attempted suicide several times and eventually died because of it. It's tragic, and it makes sense to see suicide in the novel as it is a I-Novel. Still, my students had a difficult time approaching the subject, and I felt just as uneasy. So, it's a phenomenal novel, but it contains delicate subject matter.

MORE OSAMU DAZAI TRANSLATIONS PLEASE!!!!!

That is all. More of this master's works to explore the human condition. Thank You.

Simpleand complex all in one

The story is sweet and tragic. the story is sad and entertaining. You struggle with the characters and live through them. You pity their struggle,but you envy their place. Though much time has passed the lives of aristocrats in a far away place is not much different than the middle class of today.it is pitiful but you envy the place they live

Beautiful and Sad Recording

The Narrator has a real empty, sorrowful, and monotone expression, as someone who is tired and wishing for change, the ending really touched me personally, in a hopeful way.

Amazing read

The imagery in Osamu Dazai’s writing is so beautiful. This is a very well written story and a bittersweet read.