[Reading CD] Dazai Osamu Autobiography (1) "Memories" "Talking About My Life" (2-CD set) (Shimijimi Reading Library) ()

[Commentary] This collection features three of Dazai Osamu's autobiographical essays. "Memories" was written in 1932, when Dazai was 24 years old, and is included at the beginning of his first collection of creative writing, "Late Years." It primarily reminisces about his early years, from elementary school to when he entered junior high school, and describes his interactions with his aunt, siblings, and schoolmates, as well as his cherished feelings for a young, teenage maid at his family home. There's no hint of the anguish he felt later in life, and the works have the flavor of Dazai's coming-of-age novels. "Goshogawara" is a short essay reminiscing about his childhood with his doting aunt. "Talking About My Half-Life" is a general recollection of Dazai's time at age 39, when he committed suicide. He speaks frankly about himself, saying, "I'm now 39, and when I think about my future life in this world, I just feel stunned and have no confidence whatsoever. So sometimes I think it might even be called tragic that a weakling like me would have to support a wife and children." These statements seem to foreshadow his suicide by drowning in the Tama River Canal shortly thereafter. Both passages are included in Aozora Bunko. The separately sold audio CDs "A Day with Dazai Osamu" and "A Study of Dazai Osamu's Suicide in Love" (by Toyoshima Yoshio, Sakaguchi Ango, and others) also provide fascinating portrayals of Dazai's various human aspects, so be sure to listen to them as well.

[Recording Time] Total 2 hours and 21 minutes

[About the Narration] Narration: Seiji Hibikibayashi (A highly natural-sounding, high-performance synthesized voice (male) based on the actual voice of an announcer, with pronunciation, intonation, and timing adjusted accordingly.)

[Request] Please listen to the sample on the Hibikibayashi website and read the explanation of the disadvantages of synthesized voices before considering using the service (accessible in the left column of the website).