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oh_rachel's review against another edition
4.25
As Osamu Dazai's Number 1 Fan (officially), I obviously had to read this. I don't know what to say, my boy has range. He can go from depression and despair in No Longer Human to the hopeful optimism present in this 3 page short story.
If you think about Dazai's relationship with alcoholism, a whole other layer becomes apparent. It almost becomes a beautiful story of overcoming addiction or a cycle of negative thinking. The main character comes upon this couple where the husband has such a simple worldview of good vs. bad that he immediately becomes enamored by. And on the one hand, he's encouraging the protagonist to drink saying it's "good" whereas the wife's offer to instead play bridge is "bad". The doctor is sort of this devil on his shoulder who's maybe holding the protagonist back or, at the very least, testing him. He's encouraging the protagonist towards his bad habits and putting restrictions on others. I could literally analyze this man all day.
And then you have the women in this book, in particular the wife, and how angelically they're described. The last line of the wife acting as a "marionnettiste", like she's a guiding hand, helping the protagonist see the beauty in the world is just so uncharacteristically optimistic.
I could easily write more than 3 pages about this 3 page story, but I'll stop here. I love Osamu Dazai. Thank you.
If you think about Dazai's relationship with alcoholism, a whole other layer becomes apparent. It almost becomes a beautiful story of overcoming addiction or a cycle of negative thinking. The main character comes upon this couple where the husband has such a simple worldview of good vs. bad that he immediately becomes enamored by. And on the one hand, he's encouraging the protagonist to drink saying it's "good" whereas the wife's offer to instead play bridge is "bad". The doctor is sort of this devil on his shoulder who's maybe holding the protagonist back or, at the very least, testing him. He's encouraging the protagonist towards his bad habits and putting restrictions on others. I could literally analyze this man all day.
And then you have the women in this book, in particular the wife, and how angelically they're described. The last line of the wife acting as a "marionnettiste", like she's a guiding hand, helping the protagonist see the beauty in the world is just so uncharacteristically optimistic.
I could easily write more than 3 pages about this 3 page story, but I'll stop here. I love Osamu Dazai. Thank you.
lucywera's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
The ending is sure to stay with anyone. What is really prevalent in this short story is the clear archetypes: devil and angel. It’s said to reflect what Dazai wanted for himself. It’s sure special to indulge in another’s dream.
febrfebrfebr's review against another edition
3.0
Ebook ini terdiri dari pengantar penerjemah yang terdiri dari seorang Jepang dan mitranya yang seorang asing, satu cerpen dan penutup berupa percakapan antara dua penerjemah mengenai cerpen yang telah mereka terjemahkan. Porsi catatan penerjemah sepertinya lebih banyak dari cerpen yang diterjemahkan itu sendiri.
Cerpennya sendiri sepertinya merupakan catatan pribadi penulis ketika sedang merantau untuk berkonsentrasi menulis sebuah novel. Di perantauannya itu ia berkenalan dengan seorang dokter, yang pada gilirannya mengeksposnya pada kisah salah satu pasien sang dokter yang diperantarai istri sang pasien. Istri sang pasien telah tiga tahun lamanya memelihara harapan akan kesembuhan suaminya. Tidak seperti tulisan Dazai yang telah banyak dikenal, cerpen ini berisi keseharian yang relatif tenang dan bermuatan harapan.
Buku ini kubaca melalui Kindle Unlimited.
Cerpennya sendiri sepertinya merupakan catatan pribadi penulis ketika sedang merantau untuk berkonsentrasi menulis sebuah novel. Di perantauannya itu ia berkenalan dengan seorang dokter, yang pada gilirannya mengeksposnya pada kisah salah satu pasien sang dokter yang diperantarai istri sang pasien. Istri sang pasien telah tiga tahun lamanya memelihara harapan akan kesembuhan suaminya. Tidak seperti tulisan Dazai yang telah banyak dikenal, cerpen ini berisi keseharian yang relatif tenang dan bermuatan harapan.
Buku ini kubaca melalui Kindle Unlimited.
tungstenmouse's review
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
This book has a lot of introduction and after interviews. The main story is very short. While I appreciated the insights, it was weird and felt like it dragged the book down as a whole.
lottpoet's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0