It’s interesting that the very interventions by the narrator, which are so heavily criticised by himself, might actually be what makes this book stand out monumentally.
I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who hasn’t read “No Longer Human,” but for those who have (and enjoyed it), it seems like a must-read.
I’m always impressed with Osamu Dazai whenever I read him. The elegance, skill, and handling of characters in his writing are sublime.
“Flowers of Buffoonery” presents a novel with no clear conclusion and perhaps an outcome opposite to what Dazai intended. The real story here is told in the streams of consciousness that lie hidden behind what he tried to construct.
Within these, we find the author’s true feelings about what happened, about his own life, and ambitions.
While I had my suspicions with “No Longer Human,” now with “Flowers of Buffoonery” I am certain that the name of Dostoevsky’s underground man is Shūji Tsushima, or Osamu Dazai.
