Talk:Osamu Dazai
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[edit] Naming
This article should be retitled. His hame is Osamu Dazai, not Dazai Osamu.
- In Japanese his name is DAZAI Osamu. Dazai is his family name. In Japanese, the family name always comes first. Since this is an article concerning a person in Japanese literature I think the more academic style, the name order as it originally appears in the Japanese, should be used. Most of the other Japanese literary articles follow this convention. Outside the circles of those who read Japanese literature, he is not a well known person.
If someone searches for "Osamu Dazai", there is a redirect page that will bring people to this article. This is my interpretation of the Wikipedia:Manual of Style for Japan-related articles. --Mp623
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- Despite that, his name is re-ordered in English versions of his works. It is a common practice to switch the naming order. There is no doubt that he is referred to in the Japanese language as "Dazai Osamu". WhisperToMe 00:17, 8 November 2005 (UTC)
- Yes, "I enjoy the works of Twain Mark, especially Sawyer Tom. Recently, I saw the famous actor Hanks Tom play Gump Forrest on TV." While Wikipedia:Manual of Style for Japan-related articles has been agreed to after much discussion, the use of western name ordering is not only jarring to people with more than a passing familarity with Japanese, but is positively ridiculous to any native speaker.--MChew 07:34, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Your bibliographical facts seem to be out-of-date
As a Japanese, I am glad to see a good article about one of the best authors in Japan. But I want you to know that few of the bibliographical facts you stated seem to be out-of-date. I don't blame this, because I don't think there is any up-to-date reference book about him published in English language.
1. He almost had no connection to Marxism and its followers. He did lend his apartment as a secret conference room, but he did it because he was asked by a friend, and he himself did not attend this conference. 2. Now many scholars agree that most of his attemted suicides were make-believes. He was perfectly aware that he wouldn't die from the actions he was about to take, but he did it anyway to get attention and possibly some financial aid from his home. 3. Related to the previous point, there is a high possibility that he did not commit double-suicide with Tomie, but was killed by her and then was tied around to her body, who then jumped in the river afterwards. Some say decent amount of cyanide was found from his body at the autopsy. Dazai in 1948 was at the apex of his life, and it is hard to imagine him wanting to be dead.
Just wanted to inform you. Thanks.
- Please sign your comments! In reference to the above--while it is certain that he was not a serious Marxist, or and certainly not an official card-carrying member of the Japan Communist Party, it is undeniable that he had a strong attraction to communism as a political philosophy as a youth, attended meetings, and spoke out in favor of "class struggle" -- perhaps as another form of adolescent protest against his family. He was one of many authors forced to recant their leftist ideology under the Tenko strategy promulgated by the government. With regards to point 3, conspiracy theories abound, but remain theories. His deteriorating physical and clearly unstable mental health make suicide a very likely possibility.--MChew 07:34, 8 January 2007 (UTC)
