Shelfology Book Pairing

(Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

by Osamu Dazai

The classic Japanese novel of alienation and the search for meaning and connection in the modern world, in a brilliant new translation—for fans of Salinger, Camus, Sartre, Hesse, and the hit anime series Bungo Stray Dogs and No Longer Allowed in Another World, both of which feature a character based on No Longer Human’s author, Osamu Dazai A Penguin Classics Graphic Deluxe Edition, with flaps, deckle-edged paper, and specially commissioned cover art by award-winning illustrator Yuko Shimizu featuring neon pink ink! Portraying himself as a failure, the protagonist of Osamu Dazai’s No Longer Human narrates a seemingly normal life even while he feels himself incapable of understanding human beings. Oba Yozo’s attempts to reconcile himself to the world around him begin in early childhood, continue through high school, where he becomes a “clown” to mask his alienation, and eventually lead to a failed suicide attempt as an adult. Without sentimentality, he records the casual cruelties of life and its fleeting moments of human connection and tenderness. Semi-autobiographical, No Longer Human is the final completed work of one of Japan’s most important writers. It has come to “echo the sentiments of youth” (The Mainichi Daily News) from postwar Japan to the postmodern society of technology. Still one of the ten bestselling books in Japan, No Longer Human is a powerful exploration of an individual’s alienation from society.

by Homer

The Odyssey, translated by T. E. Lawrence, an epic 12,000-line poem composed over 2,700 years ago, is the first adventure story in Western literature. It describes the ten-year wanderings of Odysseus in his quest to return home after the Trojan War. Hounded by the sea-god Poseidon and championed by the goddess Athene, he encounters giants, sorceresses, and sea monsters before finally reaching his beloved Ithaca. There he must endure the taunts of the Suitors to his queen, Penelope, who have taken up residence in his palace. At once enchanting fairy tale and gripping drama, the Odyssey is eminently readable, not least for the rich complexity and magnetism of its hero. An inspiration to writers as diverse as Virgil, Swift, and Joyce, the Odyssey has proved enormously influential and continues to captivate readers of all ages.