“War, oh war. When it comes to the cruelty of war, perhaps everyone imagines a red picture. The battlefield is full of smoke and fire, blood flows like a river, corpses pile up, and bombs and bullets rain down. The flames burn and flicker, then flare up. The dying flames leave behind a hot pink ash; on the country, a cruel scar that is hard to erase. Dazai Osamu’s “The Setting Sun” not only recounts the painful suffering of the “Setting Sun Clan” but also vividly depicts the devastated psyche of post-war Japan. “To live or not to live?” is the core issue of the work. And, how painful it is, in that chaotic era full of changes, “to live” or “not to live” is a tragedy. The ordinary kills the noble, and the echoes of the meaningless war also erode and kill the unfortunate victims. “The Setting Sun” carries with it a sadness of ten thousand years, crying for the unfortunate victims struggling in the quagmire of reality; crying for the traditional values and the nobility that are dying in the sunset glow, melancholy and sad, but also beautiful to the heart. Those are the last brilliant rays of a distant golden era; also the beginning of an upcoming era.”
- Title: The Setting Sun
- Author: Dazai Osamu
- Pulishers: Hoi Nha Van
- Year Of Publication : 2022