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A translation of Dazai Osamu's "A Tale of Honorable Poverty"

About the text

What is "honorable poverty"? This very short story can tell you a little about an ambivalent attitude on wealth. It is about a man who thinks that he shouldn't be happy. The story is based on one of the stories from the famous collection of classical Chinese ghost stories, Ryosaishii. The internationally known novelist, Dazai retold it in a premodern Japanese setting. A chrysanthemum mania, Sainosuke meets a neat boy and his beautiful sister. Since then, poor Sainosuke's luck has changed, but somehow he isn't contend with the change...

About the author

Dazai Osamu (1909-1948）A modern Japanese novelist. Behind his nihilistic style, one can see a deep sympathy towards humans. After several unsuccessful attempts, he eventually killed himself. (Yes, like many other modern Japanese novelists.) His most well-known work is perhaps Shayo (The Setting Sun).

There are more to come...