The Beggar Student by Osamu Dazai

The Beggar Student: A Darkly Bewitching Novella by Osamu Dazai

For fans of No Longer Human, this darkly bewitching novel from Osamu Dazai tells a story about the small redemptions found in the life of a pathetic, miserable writer.

Plot Overview

A fictional writer in his thirties, named Osamu Dazai, is consumed by dread and shame after mailing his publisher an awful manuscript. While wandering along a river in a nearby park in suburban Tokyo, he encounters a high-school dropout, and the two get into an intellectual spat.

In a twist of fate, Dazai eventually finds himself agreeing to perform in the boy’s place that very night as the live narrator of a film screening, thus beginning the madcap adventure of The Beggar Student.

Key Themes & Appeal

• Mordant Best: This biting novella captures the infamous Japanese writer at his most mordant best.
• Glamor in Destitution: It explores a world where there is glamor in destitution and glimmerings of truth in intellectual one-upmanship.
• Anime Echoes: The setting is replete with scenes straight out of the popular anime Bungo Stray Dogs, with themes that echo Dazai's masterwork, No Longer Human.

Product Details

• Title: The Beggar Student
• Author: Osamu Dazai
• Format: Paperback
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation
• Publication Year: 2024
• ISBN-13: 9780811238588
• ISBN-10: 081123858X