Osamu Dazai’s collection of short stories Early Light is a part of the Storybook ND series – a new project of the American publisher New Directions. The series collects short forms from writers all over the world and puts them in the hands of readers in aesthetically pleasing editions that “deliver the pleasure one felt as a child reading a marvelous book from cover to cover in an afternoon.”
Indeed, with the format slightly larger than a typical hardcover and the color of the paper pleasant to the eye make Early Light will appeal not only to Dazai fans, but also to collectors and fans of interestingly designed books.
Inside you will find three stories that may already be familiar to Dazai readers, especially those who read him in English translations – it features a selection of previously published translations
of Ralph McCarthy i Donald Keene. The titular Early Lights focuses on wartime reality of the writer and his family, fleeing from air raids. One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji is a record of the author’s stay at the foot of Mount Fuji – humorous episodes from trips, reflections on beauty of the national symbol, a lot about literature and – as is the case with Dazai – also about himself. The last story, Villon’s Wife,considered to be one of the artist’s best. His protagonist is a wife ofa writer alcoholic who takes on the burden of taking care of the well-being of the family and does not give in to any adversity.
