The Setting Sun
Osamu Dazai · 1909–1948 · Japan
Originally Shayō (Japanese) · translated by Donald Keene
Why it matters
An aristocratic family declines into the postwar world: 'people of the setting sun' entered the Japanese language for them. Dazai's elegy for a class, written on the eve of his own end.
At a glance
psychological novelfamily saga
Difficulty 4/10slow pace176 pagesConfessional and linear, though its bleakness demands emotional stamina.
Where to go next
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Yasunari Kawabata · 1947Snow CountryLvl 5Slow burn
Natsume Sōseki · 1914KokoroLvl 4Medium pace