🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Osamu Dazai
When he was born, the large, newly finished Tsushima mansion where he’d spend his early years was the home to around thirty family members. The Tsushima family was from obscure peasant origins, with Dazai’s great-grandpa amassing the family’s wealth as a moneylender, and his son increasing it further. They quickly rose in prominence and power and, after a bit of time, they became highly respected across the region. In 1916, he started his education at Kanagi Elementary. His dad died of lung cancer on March 4, 1923 and a month later, he attended Aomori High School, followed by entering Hirosaki University’s literature department in 1927. Tsushima developed an interest in Edo culture and started studying gidayu, a form of chanted narration used in the puppet theaters.
All Book Series by Osamu Dazai
The Flowers of Buffoonery
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 1935 Co-authored · Sam Bett
Soseki Natsume's I Am A Cat
Series opener · book 1 of 7 · published 2021 Anthology · Natsume Sōseki
Lady Murasaki's Tale of Genji
Book 2 of 7 · published 2022 Anthology · Sean Michael Wilson
Kenji Miyazawa's Restaurant of Many Orders and Other Stories
Book 5 of 7 · published 2024 Anthology · Kenji Miyazawa
Soseki Natsume's Botchan
Book 6 of 7 · published 2024 Anthology · Natsume Sōseki
Kenji Miyazawa's A Night on the Galactic Railway
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2025 Anthology · Kenji Miyazawa
The Surgery Room
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 1895 Anthology · Kyōka Izumi
Spring Comes Riding in a Carriage
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2021 Anthology · Riichi Yokomitsu
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Osamu Dazai?
When he was born, the large, newly finished Tsushima mansion where he’d spend his early years was the home to around thirty family members. The Tsushima family was from obscure peasant origins, with Dazai’s great-grandpa amassing the family’s wealth as a moneylender, and his son increasing it further. They quickly rose in prominence and power and, after a bit of time, they became highly respected across the region.
Which Osamu Dazai series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Maiden's Bookshelf series, the earliest of Osamu Dazai's multi-book series: it opens with The Surgery Room (1895) and runs to 4 books across 1895–2021, ending with Spring Comes Riding in a Carriage (2021). Osamu Dazai's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Osamu Dazai written?
Osamu Dazai has 37 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1895 and 2026. 29 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Osamu Dazai series with 18 books — and 8 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Osamu Dazai's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Osamu Dazai's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Maiden's Bookshelf (1895–2021, 4 books), Osamu Dazai (1939–2026, 18 books) and Tuttle Japanese Classics in Manga (2021–2025, 7 books).
How are Osamu Dazai's books organised into series?
This guide splits Osamu Dazai's 37 books into 3 named series and 8 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Osamu Dazai (18 books, 1939–2026); Tuttle Japanese Classics in Manga (7 books, 2021–2025); Maiden's Bookshelf (4 books, 1895–2021).